EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said they would “remain on high alert” to make sure emergency personnel could respond effectively to any emergencies.

“The main focus will be our 189 informal settlements throughout the city, since we know that these communities are the most vulnerable to flooding incidents, since most of them are residing next to river streams,” he said.

Mulaudzi has encouraged children to stay away from drainage systems and river streams because of the dangers flash floods could pose.

He also urged motorists to refrain from crossing flooded roads and bridges and encouraged them to widen following distances.

“Disaster management monitoring teams have been dispatched to all seven regions of the city to monitor any eventuality and also to facilitate any evacuation procedures whenever there might be a need to do so, since there is a possibility of localised flooding,” he said.

“Assisted by our Automated Rainfall Systems (ARS), which have been installed in the most critical areas throughout the City of Johannesburg, areas like Alexandra, Diepsloot, and Kliptown in Soweto, we will be able to disseminate messages to our residents for evacuation purposes,” he said.

“We want to urge our residents in the low-lying areas to monitor the water levels and move to the higher ground when there is a need to do so.”

Mulaudzi said no incidents had been reported so far. DM