...and the barbers were strong gale force wind gusts. Thankfully no trees were uprooted in our area, as only their branches were ripped off.
So, come and let me show you the battlefield and the fallen soldiers.
The battle was between two forces of nature, the land and the air. The land soldiers were the trees, and the air force were strong storm wind gusts. Sadly, the trees lost the battle, as the wind gusts showed little mercy. In other areas falling old trees created much havoc, as some people were killed when the trees fell on their cars. Big school hall roofs were ripped off, and huge signboards mounted on steel structures were simply folded up by the wind.
We have this battle every year, but they say that this year's was the worst. Warnings were sent out for high trucks on the highways to be careful as the wind can flip them over like cardboard boxes. We saw some pictures of a delivery guy on a motorcycle being blown off, and this is only the tip of the iceberg, as if you google, Cape Storms, May 2026, South Africa, you will be just as aghast as we are about all of the damages.
It really looked like a battlefield when we entered the premises.
This view was next to our car when we parked.
Then I went for a walk with my camera, and come and join me.
When you look at the two photos above, you can see that the branch had a weakness, as the leakages showed that the branch was damaged before this storm, and it was only a matter of time before it fell off from the trunk. The trees are big and they have seen many storms, but eventually something has to give, and then there is mayhem, as the wind simply rips them off.
A wide swathe was covered by the fallen branches.
Yep! You can see how this old tree was slaughtered.
And that is its top, and it does look like a mess, so the entire tree will have to be removed before the next wind arrivals.
Finally, just an autumn scene, as some other trees also lost their branches.
I have shown you before how quick the weather can change here, and the normal sunny blue skies can, within minutes, change into dark cloudy skies. They say that the Cape can have four seasons in one day, and it is so true. I am sure that I will show you some more posts about the weather changes, as I always see the beauty in it. As I also said before, the weather has become strange, and one can never know what the next day will hold.
We are concerned about the heavy changes in the weather, as so many people are in danger of floods, and the wild and domestic animals also have very risky times, especially the smaller ones. People suffer tremendously, but thankfully we have emergency teams on 24 hours standby. NPOs and NGOs are also hard at work to offer accommodation, clothing, and food, but it seems to be a never-ending battle every winter season.
Such is life.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
Until next time, cheers!