Disaster Strikes St. Francis Bay

The early hours of Saturday morning (15 September), residents in the Santareme and Port area of St. Francis Bay were woken up with what can only be described as a horrible disaster. The area has experienced large amounts of rain over the last few months, which has caused extensive damaged to the already destroyed roads.

According to the St Francis Connect blog, This morning, a disaster struck at approximately 8:30, either a huge water pipe has burst or one of the pools in the area above St Francis Drive, opposite Sanatareme, burst its banks, causing a disastrous flood.
Water has washed down roads and headed for the bottom of Tom Browne Boulevard, causing extensive damage and flooding properties. The photographs speak for themselves.

The area has been in the spotlight recently as residents took to the streets in protest over poor service delivery and incredibly bad roads that have not been maintained. A interest blog was written by a resident yesterday, warning that this could happen. http://stfrancisconnect.co.za/santareme-ticking-time-bomb/

Could this have been prevented?