Junre Marais, NSRI Yzerfontein station commander, said: At 04h45, Tuesday, 12 May, NSRI Yzerfontein duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from Swartland Fire and Rescue Services, at Kalbaskraal (near Malmesbury), where persons and domestic animals were trapped by flooding during heavy rainfalls.
The NSRI Yzerfontein rescue vehicle, with NSRI swift water rescue swimmers, towing the NSRI rescue craft JetRIB, accompanied by an NSRI rescue kayak, responded.
On arrival on the scene at Kalbaskraal NSRI launched our rescue kayak to assist the SA Police Services, Swartland Fire and Rescue Services, WC Government Health EMS – rescue squad and ambulances, West Coast DRM (Disaster Risk Management), Municipal authorities and community safety organisations, relocating persons and animals displaced, and in some areas trapped, by flooding.
Already multiple persons and animals had earlier been assisted by emergency services. In some areas residents were cut off from mainlands but safe, choosing to remain in place until water levels subsided.
NSRI, using our rescue kayak, were deployed by rescue controllers to assist 2 public members and 5 domestic animals (three birds and two dogs) trapped by flood waters at a home. In relays they were brought to safety where they were taken into the care of emergency services.
NSRI returned to base at 12h12 after all persons and animals were relocated to safety and in cases confirmed to be safe where they were.
Then at 16h45 NSRI Yzerfontein were activated to respond to assist EMS Metro Control and EMS rescue paramedics at Kalbaskraal, on the Diep River, where a male public member had launched a kayak onto the river and he had become trapped in amongst reeds surrounded by fast flowing and rising water on the river.
It appears that the young local adult man may have attempted to make use of the fast flowing waters to go kayaking when he got caught in amongst reeds surrounded by fast flowing and rising flood waters.
An EMS rescue squad and ambulance, Swartland Fire and Rescue Services, DRM, the SA Police Services and Malmesbury Veiligheid, were in attendance.
On NSRI’s arrival on the scene, assisted by Metro rescue paramedics, the NSRI rescue craft JetRIB was launched at a farmers field along the river.
Our NSRI rescue crew reached the man and took him onboard our rescue craft.
Malmesbury Veiligheid (a neighbourhood/farm watch organisation) deployed aerial drones with lighting, a vital aid that contributed to the operations success, to assist to flood light the area during the rescue operation.
Negotiating the swollen river and rapids the man was taken further down stream on the NSRI rescue craft and he was brought safely to the river bank where he was taken into the care of EMS rescue paramedics.
The cooperation between NSRI, emergency services and community safety services is commended.
The NSRI rescue craft was recovered and at 22h35 NSRI Yzerfontein returned to base.
