Fire and Rescue teams save 28 preschoolers from devastating floods
Emergency responders rescue 28 preschoolers from Montclair Kids Educare as severe flooding engulfs Mitchells Plain, highlighting the urgent need for community safety measures.
Image: Supplied
In another harrowing story from the devastating storms that threatened the lives of Capetonians, Fire and Rescue heroically rescued 28 preschoolers from their flooding preschool in Mitchells Plain.
Wrapped in blankets against the biting cold, the children were carried onto a fire truck by emergency responders and transported to anxious but relieved parents who were unable to reach Montclair Kids Educare in the waterlogged Phase 5 area of Montclair.
The centre was among the schools that remained open on Monday as Cape Town was battered by heavy storms and gale-force winds, which triggered widespread power outages, road closures and significant damage to infrastructure across the city.
The director of the centre, Yanga Zenani, explained that the drain at the cul-de-sac was blocked and caused the water to rise quickly.
A grateful and relieved Zenani said: “There is a canal beyond the cul-de-sac. It has water pumps, but they died, and the water was not flowing out.
“That is when we called the fire station, and it was dispatched immediately from the Mitchells Plain Station.
“The floods were so bad that an ambulance we had called for an elderly person who was trapped in a house also on the street could not wade in there, meaning they also had to wait for the fire truck.
“When the truck arrived, less than 30 minutes after we had made the call, it picked me up where I was waiting and we made our way there. They evacuated the children, loaded them onto the truck and delivered them to the parents.”
Zenani added: “The courage, dedication, and calmness displayed by your team brought reassurance and comfort to our staff members and parents alike.”
Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith, extended gratitude to the first responders.
He said: “They stepped in and helped a group of toddlers trapped inside a house surrounded by rising water.
“They are not the only ones who are stepping up to go beyond the call of duty and I want to extend my gratitude and appreciation to all first responders.”