Lwandle in Strand was one of the hardest-hit areas.
Much-needed funds will be redirected towards immediate disaster relief efforts while preliminary assessments continue to determine the full extent of the flood damage, which officials estimate could run into the billions of rand across the Western Cape.
National Disaster Management Centre head, Elias Sithole, gazetted a notice on Wednesday classifying the damage caused in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State and Northern Cape by the second wave of storms from May 10 as a disaster.
The storms severely affected the Cape Winelands District, including the Breede Valley and Witzenberg municipalities, as well as parts of the West Coast District, particularly the Cederberg and Matzikama municipalities.
This followed an earlier wave of storms that had already devastated the Garden Route, prompting the first disaster classification.
