RESCUE
A swift response
SAVES LIVES
After heavy rains left a group of people stranded in Riviersonderend, Sea Rescue volunteers from Kleinmond and Hermanus joined the SAPS diving unit to assist in bringing them to safety. By Cherelle Leong
B
Y THE MORNING OF 6 May 2021, the Overberg had experienced 200mm to 300mm of rain in 24 hours – more than double the rainfall that had been predicted.
resources. Station 42, along with Station 17 (Hermanus) were asked to assist. Kleinmond activated with five crew members – Michael Kiesling, Schalk Boonzaaier, Riaan Smit,
With river levels rising rapidly, Regional Disaster Management knew there was a very good chance of people getting stranded owing to flooding and had issued warnings to the public the day before to stay away from rivers and low-lying areas. Station 42 (Kleinmond) station commander Schalk Boonzaaier received a call from the head of Disaster Management for the Overberg region around midday on 6 May. There was a large group of people stranded in Riviersonderend. While police divers were on the scene assisting them, there were concerns that water levels could rise even further. With half the day already gone and only a few hours of daylight left, there was a risk that they would not be able to get everyone to safety before nightfall without additional rescue
Marco Pretorius, Merwe Krige and Jaco Stemmet Jnr – and hitched up their JetRIB to travel to Riviersonderend. Hermanus responded with three crew, namely André Barnard, Antonie de Klerk and Jean le Roux, as well as their 4.2m RIB. Sea Rescue crews are specifically trained in swift-water rescue to be able to assist when inland flooding occurs. Such an operation requires good knowledge of rope work and careful planning, and is a specialised rescue skill.
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SEA RESCUE SPRING 2021
DAYLIGHT FADING It was an 80-minute drive to get to Riviersonderend, and daylight hours were fast slipping away. On arrival, the Sea Rescue crew met up with the police divers on the scene to determine how best
