Cape Town Storm 7 June 2017

[4L5A]

Cape Town [ZS1 area] was struck by a huge wind and rain storm during Tuesday night 6 June
continuing througout the next day.

Several large towers on high sites came down as shown in the pictures and some damage to radio
amateur antennas were also reported over the region.

Cape Town is also known as "The Cape of Storms" for more than 500 years and is the last resting
place of many ships being shipwrecked due to bad weather during their attempted voyage around
Cape Point.

Severe flooding and wind damage to buildings and huge trees have been reported in and around
the city. All flights from Cape Town International were delayed or cancelled.

Amateur radio operators that were able to, lowered their antennas before the storm, while others
added additional guy lines and rope anchors to the antennas.

Wind gusts of over 80 knots were measured during Wednesday afternoon just north of Cape Town.

Amateur Radio towers




Hanskop Commercial Tower near Cape Town

[4L5A]

The storm that struck Cape Town continued it's devastation further along the Cape South coast spreading several fires in the Knysna area. The fires were boosted by the strong wind and burned down large forest areas and several houses. The fires also caused the death of several people caught in it's way. Knysna is located 400km East of Cape Town in an area known as the Garden Route of South Africa.
Some of the local Amateur Radio operators were helping to evacuate people from their houses, fighting the fires and housing people that had nowhere to go after losing all they had in the fires.

Airplane footage shows devastating Knysna fire from above

Fires tear through Knysna as residents are evacuated