Cape Town braces for more wind and rain; thousands affected by stormy weather

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - More stormy weather loomed over Cape Town after days of high winds and drenching rain that have displaced hundreds of people, flooded homes and uprooted trees, authorities said on Friday.

Close to 33,000 dwellings in both informal settlements and suburbs have been affected, the city's disaster management centre said.

Essentials such as meals, blankets, mattresses, roof sheeting and hygiene packs were being distributed to affected communities amid biting winds and plunging temperatures.

"We have a huge humanitarian situation to deal with and all authorities are working together to address this," Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister for Local Government, said in a statement.

All the city's major catchment dams were full or nearing capacity, the Western Cape government said, warning the Breede River in Swellendam town was flowing at more than 1,000 cubic metres a second and was in danger of breaching its banks as more rain is expected.

"In Laingsburg, the Floriskraal Dam is at 118% and communities in the immediate downstream vicinity have been alerted of the risk of flooding," Bredell said, referring to affected towns beyond the city's boundaries.

The South Africa Weather Service has warned that an approaching cold front will cause strong to near gale-force winds of around 40 to 60 kph (25-37 mph) between Table Bay and Plettenberg Bay on Sunday.

Wave heights of up to five metres (16 feet) were expected on Saturday morning. Ships at Cape Town port, one of the busiest in South Africa, were advised to taking necessary precautions such as tending to moorings regularly to prevent snapping.

Despite the damage, some residents were enjoying the bad weather. Online videos showed youngsters frolicking about in flooded roads and even boogie boarding down saturated hills.

(Reporting by Wendell Roelf)