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4 months ago
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ARTICLE AD BOX
Nearly 1,000 homes in informal settlements in Cape Town, South Africa, have been destroyed by strong winds, displacing around 4,000 people, authorities and an aid agency say, as the city braces for a week of devastating storms.
South African weather authorities said Monday that Cape Town and surrounding areas are expected to be hit by multiple cold fronts until at least Friday, bringing torrential rain , strong winds and flooding.
The Cape Town Disaster Coordination Team has been on alert since last Thursday, when the first front arrived.
The worst-hit areas are expected to be poor, informal settlements on the outskirts of South Africa 's second city . Thousands of people have been displaced in the township of Khayelitsha on the outskirts of Cape Town after strong winds destroyed homes and other structures. Local aid organisation Gift of the Givers said it had provided 10,000 meals and 3,000 blankets to displaced people in Khayelitsha over the weekend.
Other areas were flooded and the weather caused power cuts in more than 30 suburbs, the City of Cape Town said. It said it was monitoring dam levels to ensure they did not overflow, and would consider a controlled release of water if further heavy rain was expected this week.
Cape Town is often hit by cold fronts from the Atlantic Ocean during the winter months in mid-year. These are particularly damaging to deprived informal settlements.
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