Provincial Floods Trigger Major NSRI Response

As severe weather battered the Western and Eastern Cape this month, NSRI volunteers found themselves navigating swollen rivers, submerged roads and freezing floodwaters to bring stranded families to safety.

Across both provinces, 166 NSRI stations were activated to support Disaster Risk Management and emergency services amid torrential rain and rising dam levels that triggered widespread flooding.

From Citrusdal and Worcester to the Gamtoos River in the Eastern Cape, crews worked around the clock alongside EMS Metro Rescue, Disaster Risk Management, Rescue SA, SAPS and municipal emergency teams. In some cases, children spent the night trapped on rooftops in bitterly cold conditions while rescuers battled to reach them.

“The devastation is just absolutely terrible,” said Schalk Boonzaaier, Station 42, Kleinmond Station Commander. “A woman told me from Swellendam that the severity of this weather is apparently the worst in recorded history.”

A Rescue to Remember

One of the most challenging rescues unfolded between Worcester and Rawsonville, where floodwaters cut off farm workers and their families. Initially, rescuers were told six people were trapped on a roof. When Schalk and fellow volunteer Mike Markovina arrived, they discovered far more.

“There were 23 people trapped on two roofs,” he said.

Among those waiting for rescue were toddlers, elderly residents, a blind man and a paralysed woman who had remained trapped for more than 30 hours.

The rescue itself was fraught with danger. The crew had to launch a JetRIB into fast-flowing water clogged with debris. Rescue swimmers stood by with throw bags while the craft was tethered to a 100-metre safety rope.

“We also had the challenge of not knowing what was underneath the water,” Schalk explained. “There were vineyards and poles sticking out and a lot of different things, but being covered by rising floodwaters, you couldn't see a thing.”

Despite the risks, the team managed to ferry the stranded residents to safety, carefully navigating through floating logs and wreckage along the shoreline.

“Another challenge was that a lot of them can't swim,” he said. “You've got to get them back to safety with the utmost care, because you cannot afford them to fall into the water.”

A Province on Edge

While the storms left a visible trail of destruction stretching from the Cederberg to the Breede River and beyond the coast, for many rescuers, the emotional impact has lingered long after the waters subsided.

“It's been a hectic week, and really been quite emotional,” Schalk said. “I think the whole province after this past week felt like that. You get this air of people being on edge, and that takes a while to wear off again.”

He reflected on how witnessing widespread loss had changed his own perspective.

“There are so many people who have had such a lot of devastation and heartache, and just bad things happen to them that our small problems sometimes feel … – you almost feel guilty that you worry about your garage door that was leaking.”

For the volunteers operating in exhausting, freezing conditions, compassion and determination kept them going.

“If you get a task, you don't stop until it's done,” he said. “You forget about the cold, you forget about tiredness, and adrenaline does wonders to what you can and can't do.”

Coordination Under Pressure

According to NSRI Head of Operations Charl Maritz, the rescue effort depended heavily on preparation and close cooperation between agencies.

“The NSRI functions as a standby resource within an established multi-agency framework,” Charl explained. “We do not self-deploy; we respond when called upon.”

Stations from both provinces mobilised rapidly. In the Eastern Cape, NSRI crews from Gqeberha, Oyster Bay, St Francis Bay and Jeffreys Bay responded to the Gamtoos River operation, where 49 people were rescued. In the Western Cape, stations including Kleinmond, Mykonos, Yzerfontein, Hermanus, Agulhas, Melkbosstrand and St Helena Bay assisted across flood-hit regions.

Communication during the operations was often difficult, with crews losing radio or cellphone contact in remote areas, or because cell phone towers were down. But, according to Charl, teams relied on training, leadership and pre-planned procedures when communications failed.

“Every deployed team operates with a team leader who holds incident command responsibility at the crew level,” He explained. “That structure does not collapse when the radio goes quiet or connectivity drops; it is precisely when communication fails that good training and a clear chain of command within the team matter most. Teams are expected to work within their abilities, experience, and the limits of their equipment.”

Stronger Together

For Schalk, one of the strongest memories from the floods will be the professionalism and unity shown by everyone involved.

“Those guys are so professional, they just slot in. We work together, we save lives, and that's about it,” he said of the EMS and rescue teams that the NSRI crews worked alongside.

He also praised the dedication of volunteers who prepared equipment before the storms even arrived.

“We're very fortunate to have these awesome crew members who take their Sundays to pack the cars, make sure they're fuelled and more.”

As communities begin rebuilding after one of the most destructive weather events in recent memory, the floods served as a powerful reminder of the courage, teamwork and resilience that emerge in times of crisis.