After heavy rainfall in Ermelo that caused flooding in some areas, people have reported extensive damage to personal property as well as municipal infrastructure.

The heavens emptied its belly over town which saw innocent streams of water rapidly turning into enraged rivers at around 4pm on 30 January.

Near the Oosthuise and Church Street intersection, the road was flooded and emergency and rescue personnel stationed themselves on either side of the water to ensure motorists did not tempt fate.

This, however, was preceded by two vehicles getting trapped in the flooded area.

With the help of onlookers though, they managed to get the vehicles and subsequently the people to safety.

With water coming in from several streets, an inconceivable amount of litter could be seen floating on the water surface which quickly clogged-up stormwater drains.

ALSO SEE: GALLERY – Blocked stormwater drains in Ermelo coupled with Mother Nature – a recipe for disaster

Combine clogged-up drains with the wrath of Mother Nature and you have yourself a recipe for disaster.

Raging waters had nowhere to go and consequently, water-levels steadily rose.

Fortunately, a few brave souls – at their own peril, decided to unclog the drains – unflooding the road in mere minutes.

Other bystanders also jumped to action upon noticing the effectiveness of a functioning drain and began stacking bricks (that were scattered around the road) and formed a channel through which water was guided into the drain.

Read the complete article in the Highvelder Newspaper.