12 February 2025 Media Release: Garden Route District Municipality Assists Vulnerable Communities in Disaster Recovery Efforts
Media Release: Garden Route District Municipality Assists Vulnerable Communities in Disaster Recovery Efforts
12 February 2025
The Emergency Call Centre, a crucial component of the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Disaster Management Centre (DMC), handles approximately 25,000 emergency calls per month. However, disaster management extends far beyond immediate incident response—it encompasses four key pillars:
- Mitigation
- Preparedness
- Response
- Recovery
Disaster management also includes planning and development, ensuring a proactive approach to both natural and human-made disasters. Beyond coordinating responses during major incidents, the DMC continuously works to enhance the district’s resilience against disaster risks.
DISASTER REHABILITATION AND RECONSTRUCTION EFFORTS
The GRDM DMC is responsible for facilitating local disaster declarations and motivating funding requests from both provincial and national governments for disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction.
Currently, GRDM DMC is overseeing the implementation of several disaster rehabilitation projects, including:
2021/22 Flood Disaster Grants:
- George: R237.5 million
- Oudtshoorn: R26.6 million
2023 Storm Surge Disaster Grants:
- Knysna: R2.6 million
- Hessequa: R5.18 million
June 2024 Floods:
A disaster grant request of R115 million has been submitted to the National Disaster Management Centre and National Treasury and is currently pending approval.
RELIEF TO COMMUNITIES IN NEED
GRDM DMC plays a crucial role in ensuring that disaster-affected communities receive urgent assistance.
Emergency Water Relief – Gamka West (Calitzdorp) | 26 January 2024
After residents of Gamka West, who rely on the Klein Karoo Rural Water Supply Scheme, were left without water for over four days, GRDM DMC dispatched a water tanker from the Ladismith Fire Base to deliver several loads of water to affected families.
GRDM Firefighters recently assisted families after they were left without water from the Klein Karoo Rural Water Supply Scheme for four days.
Storm Damage Relief – Volmoed (Oudtshoorn) | 29 January 2024
Following heavy rain and gale-force winds, 32 households in Volmoed, outside Oudtshoorn, were left destitute. Responding to a request from the GRDM Deputy Mayor, GRDM DMC provided:
- 52 blankets to the Oudtshoorn Municipality for evacuated residents housed in a local church hall.
- The Oudtshoorn Municipality also distributed 32 mattresses and 32 starter kits to affected families.
- GRDM DMC facilitated additional support from the Gift of the Givers, who provided food relief to affected individuals the following day.
A property in Volmoed that was severely damaged after rain and gale-force winds.
STRENGTHENING WATER AND SANITATION SECURITY
Recognising the importance of water security, GRDM DMC is spearheading the development of a District Water and Sanitation Master Plan. This initiative focuses on identifying and implementing bulk water and sanitation projects across municipal boundaries to enhance water security for all residents in the district.
The GRDM is assisted by the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (WCEDP) to develop this Master Plan. The assistance of the company Partners in Performance (PiP) was subsequently obtained to develop this District Water and Sanitation Master Plan. At this point in time most of the technical information required, have been obtained from the current Water Services Authorities in the District. PiP is currently busy analysing this data.
The GRDM is working towards having a first draft available by the end of March this year.
DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
The DMC also assists local municipalities in developing Disaster Risk Reduction Plans (DRR) ensuring alignment with local risk assessments.
It is important to remember that DRR should always be a holistic multi‐hazard/threat and multi‐stakeholder approach, and it should be mainstreamed into development projects to increase the resilience of the built environment.
DRR must be considered and where relevant implemented at the earliest appropriate stage of the design and planning process rather than added onto a project as an after‐thought. It is important to build back better, especially when opportunities arise in the aftermath of a disaster. Professional institutions can play a very positive role in educating students and members about their roles in disaster risk reduction.
DRR Plans vary for each local municipal area with the focus on addressing the following priority disaster risks in the District, namely flooding, fires – especially wildland fires, drought, coastal as well as river erosion, transportation incidents including Hazmat incidents as well as human and animal diseases .
Some of these plans include the following:
- Flood hazard mapping linked to the Spatial Development Framework of each Local Municipality.
- Emergency breaching of estuaries protocol and the pro-active management of low-lying flood prone areas.
- Eradication of invasive alien plants.
- Protection of riverbanks – especially in the Duiwenhoks River.
- Establishment of integrated fire management protocols.
- Public awareness campaigns.
- District Safety Forum as well as establishment of Local safety Forums.
- Building back better as an integral part of post disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction projects.
When these plans are updated, they form part of spatial development frameworks. This ensures that that emerging disaster risks are factored into planning of town infrastructure.
ENDS