Flood!

This map shows the flood hazard around the Knysna estuary, South Africa. The flood-prone areas (shown in red and orange) were identified using a combination of machine learning and the Digital Elevation Model of South Africa at 2m resolution (DEMSA2). The map, produced at Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Geographical Analysis (CGA) in collaboration with Geosmart Space, is a refinement of the Provincial Flood Hazard Index developed for the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre. These refinements come at an opportune time, given that the Western Cape has been receiving heavy rainfalls recently. In addition, the South African Weather Service is predicting three storms over the next few weeks, which will elevate flood risk in low-lying areas such as those bordering the Knysna lagoon, with Times Live reporting that flooding has already occurred in areas within the Cape Town region.