Preparing for La Niña

Thabazimbi – The town of Thabazimbi is nestled between mountains and dams. Due to Thabazimbi's location, the town often fall victim to floods.

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is currently in a neutral state and the forecast indicate that there is a chance that it will most likely move towards a weak La Niña state during spring and early summer in South Africa. La Niña cycles tend to bring above-normal rainfall over the summer rainfall areas of the country. The state of the surrounding dams of which most are above 70% full also increase the chances of flooding should there be an increase in rainfall.

To prepare for this potential disaster, the Thabazimbi Disaster Management Centre created a plan of action to minimise the chances and damage of potential floods. “We have started cleaning up Rooikuilspruit and other brooks of water, to help prevent flooding,” said Thabazimbi Disaster Management disaster manager Gerrie Visagie.

Once the ban on open fires has been lifted, the rest of the area will be cleaned with the assistance of Working on Fire. Previous floods were caused by overflowing dams which in turn flooded the town. Rocks rolling off the mountain because of all the rain is also a major concern.

Gerrie confirmed that if the town is not severely affected by La Niña, the town will still benefit from the precautions they have taken and should a flood occur they already have a plan in place to notify residents in case the town needs to be evacuated.