Know Your Area’s Flood Risk: Understand your region’s susceptibility to flooding.
Create a Flood Safety Plan: Develop a plan that includes evacuation of your residence and preventing of any flooding of your house. If you are in a low lying wetland area, think about placing sandbags in front of critical openings and removing furniture, if required.
Prepare an Emergency Kit: Include essentials like water, non-perishable food, medications, first-aid supplies, flashlights, and a radio.
Keep Important Documents Safe: Store documents like insurance policies and property deeds in a waterproof container or a secure, elevated location.
Move Valuables to Higher Ground: If it’s safe to do so, move valuable items to a higher level within your home.
Prevention:
Clean Your Gutters: Ensure proper water flow by removing debris from gutters and downspouts.
Placement of sandbags in front of openable areas where storm water can penetrate. If you don’t have any, don’t shy away from asking for help from your local Betty’s Bay fire volunteers that will assist.
Seal Cracks in Walls and Foundations: Address any cracks to prevent water from entering your home.
Secure Shelves and Appliances: Secure bookshelves and other items to prevent them from toppling during a flood.
Consider Flood Insurance: Armed Forces Insurance suggests it’s an easy way to protect your home.
IMPORTANT:
Always stay Informed: Monitor local news and weather reports for updates and evacuation orders.
Be Prepared to Evacuate: Know your evacuation zone, routes, and where you will go.
Follow instructions from emergency officials and evacuate when ordered.
The OM is currently hard at work with the cleaning up of all the critical storm water channels from shrubs & overgrown verges, especially on Clarence Drive & Porter drive. Please try and assist, as a community, to take care of your own property to ensure that you are not at risk of any flooding.
OCEAN & BEACH CLEAN UP DRIVE – 24th of April
In a joint effort to protect our coastal ecosystems, BlackSheep Diving, Maties Underwater Club, and Betty’s Bay Conservancy came together for a clean-up dive at the Stony Point Penguin Colony. This initiative was part of the PADI AWARE Foundation’s Dive Against Debris campaign and celebrated CapeNature’s Clean-up Month.
With 13 dedicated divers equipped with debris bags, the team successfully removed underwater litter, contributing valuable data to global marine debris research. The effort extended beyond the water, with participants also conducting a beach clean-up, leaving the area cleaner and safer for wildlife, including the colony’s iconic African penguins.
BlackSheep Diving will be organizing another Dive Against Debris event soon—keep an eye out for upcoming dates and join the movement to protect our oceans! We will be trying to do it as a monthly event.
BEACH WALKWAYS & PUBLIC TOILETS
We would like to initiate a community project focussing on the Public Toilets at our beaches. We request all volunteers to assist us in May/June to clean up, repair & do a make-over of all the public toilets to ensure that all tourists, locals & visitors can enjoy the beaches including the facilities. Any monetary donations or items will be appreciated. Please contact the BBRA if you are interested in helping.
There is also a big need to have walkways from the parking areas to the beach to accommodate for all disabilities & the daily visitors. We are going to engage with the OM to try and get this project of the ground. All volunteers that would like to assist in making this happen will be appreciated.
Elsa Stofberg