{"id":298044,"date":"2026-06-11T10:17:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T08:17:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?p=298044"},"modified":"2026-06-11T10:17:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T08:17:41","slug":"second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/","title":{"rendered":"Second Kouga flood less severe than record May event"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KOUGA <\/strong>– The heavy rain that struck the Kouga and Kou-Kamma regions from 3 June caused flooding, road damage and soil loss across parts of the area, but the event was significantly less severe than the unprecedented flood of early May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residents were urged to prepare after the South African Weather Service upgraded its warning from Level 5 to Level 8 for disruptive rain expected on 3 and 4 June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rainfall led to road closures, rockfalls and flooding across the region, prompting advisories from both the Eastern Cape Department of Transport and Kouga Local Municipality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rienette Colesky, CEO of the Gamtoos Water Users’ Association, said the downpour was not as intense as the flood-producing storm of 5 to 7 May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The downpour wasn’t that intense, and I think that was the saving grace for our valley because it seems like that cutoff low pushed towards the coast,” said Colesky.\\<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The rain that was expected inland was actually much less than what fell eventually.”
She stressed that the June event still produced a flood, with the Kouga Dam spilling at just below 693 cumec.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I believe that we peaked on Thursday (4 June) and Friday (5 June) nights, after which the levels fell,” said Colesky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colesky said the latest flooding again caused significant damage to roads and land, with large amounts of soil being washed away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“There’s still severe damage, especially damage caused to the roads. So much work has been done since the flood in May, and now we need to start all over again,” said Colesky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the June flooding caused renewed damage, Colesky said it was not comparable to the flood that occurred from 5 to 7 May, which remains the largest event ever recorded at the dam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“At least it was not nearly the volume as the first one in early May. The first one was absolutely exceptional,” said Colesky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We have not recorded a rainfall and a flooding event as high as the event of the 5th, 6th and 7th of May. That surpasses what we’ve recorded to date.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colesky said that during the May disaster, the dam spill reached 3,666 cumec, far above the previous major flood recorded in 1996 at about 2,500 cumec.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She noted that monitoring systems at the Condomo weir were overwhelmed by the floodwaters and that officials could not determine the full volume passing through the Groot River system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We couldn’t even read the Condomo weir’s reading; we just know that it went past the measuring plate,” said Colesky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As previously reported<\/a>, in mid-May, the Kouga Dam rose from below 33% on 6 May to overflowing in about 18 hours, eventually reaching about 126%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flooding submerged orchards, cut roads and forced emergency evacuations across parts of the valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Gamtoos Water Users’ Association, as of 9 June, the water level at the Kouga Dam stands at 102.77% and the Loerie Dam at 102.27%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ<\/strong>: Eastern Cape dams show strong recovery after recent rainfall<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

June rains flooded the Kouga region, damaging roads and washing away soil, but officials say the event was far less severe than May’s historic flood.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":298045,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"67","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"3","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"Razaan Plaatjies","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[9488,9029,9697,9459,91],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-298044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-flood","tag-kouga-dam","tag-level-8-weather-warning","tag-severe-weather","tag-top"],"yoast_head":"\nSecond Kouga flood less severe than record May event | Kouga Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kouga flooding June 2025 brought road damage and soil loss, but officials confirm the event was far less severe than May's record-breaking disaster.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Second Kouga flood less severe than record May event\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kouga flooding June 2025 brought road damage and soil loss, but officials confirm the event was far less severe than May's record-breaking disaster.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/lightspeedwpdev\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-11T08:17:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-11T08:17:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Kouga-Dam-4-June.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1185\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1445\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Razaan Plaatjies\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/x.com\/lightspeedwp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d9d8e6bb40fa6983d90edd80d15a679f\"},\"headline\":\"Second Kouga flood less severe than record May event\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-11T08:17:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-11T08:17:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":489,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/Kouga-Dam-4-June.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"flood\",\"Kouga Dam\",\"Level 8 weather warning\",\"severe weather\",\"Top\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\\\/\",\"name\":\"Second Kouga flood less severe than record May event | Kouga Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/Kouga-Dam-4-June.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-11T08:17:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-11T08:17:41+00:00\",\"description\":\"Kouga flooding June 2025 brought road damage and soil loss, but officials confirm the event was far less severe than May's record-breaking disaster.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/Kouga-Dam-4-June.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/Kouga-Dam-4-June.jpg\",\"width\":1185,\"height\":1445,\"caption\":\"June rains flood Kouga region, but far less severe than May. PHOTO: Vuyani Dlomo\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Second Kouga flood less severe than record May event\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PEExpress1\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\"],\"description\":\"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.\",\"email\":\"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"042-992 5650\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d9d8e6bb40fa6983d90edd80d15a679f\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"description\":\"Ash Shaw is the founder of LightSpeed, a WordPress design and development agency established in 2003. With over 20 years of experience, Ash is a seasoned business manager, web strategist, and product lead specializing in WordPress, WooCommerce, AI-driven workflows, and digital publishing solutions. A key figure in the WordPress community since 2007, Ash has played a significant role in organizing WordCamp events, developing open-source projects, and leading UX\\\/UI improvements in WordPress-based platforms. Ash is passionate about design systems, block-based themes, and bridging the gap between design and development.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/lightspeedwp.agency\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/facebook.com\\\/lightspeedwpdev\",\"https:\\\/\\\/instagram.com\\\/lightspeedwpdev\",\"https:\\\/\\\/linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/lightspeedwp\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/lightspeedwp\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@lightspeedwp\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/author\\\/lightspeedwp\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Second Kouga flood less severe than record May event | Kouga Express","description":"Kouga flooding June 2025 brought road damage and soil loss, but officials confirm the event was far less severe than May's record-breaking disaster.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Second Kouga flood less severe than record May event","og_description":"Kouga flooding June 2025 brought road damage and soil loss, but officials confirm the event was far less severe than May's record-breaking disaster.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/","og_site_name":"Kouga Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","article_author":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/lightspeedwpdev","article_published_time":"2026-06-11T08:17:38+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-11T08:17:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1185,"height":1445,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Kouga-Dam-4-June.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Razaan Plaatjies","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/x.com\/lightspeedwp","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kouga Express","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/"},"author":{"name":"Kouga Express","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/d9d8e6bb40fa6983d90edd80d15a679f"},"headline":"Second Kouga flood less severe than record May event","datePublished":"2026-06-11T08:17:38+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-11T08:17:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/"},"wordCount":489,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Kouga-Dam-4-June.jpg","keywords":["flood","Kouga Dam","Level 8 weather warning","severe weather","Top"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/","name":"Second Kouga flood less severe than record May event | Kouga Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Kouga-Dam-4-June.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-11T08:17:38+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-11T08:17:41+00:00","description":"Kouga flooding June 2025 brought road damage and soil loss, but officials confirm the event was far less severe than May's record-breaking disaster.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Kouga-Dam-4-June.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Kouga-Dam-4-June.jpg","width":1185,"height":1445,"caption":"June rains flood Kouga region, but far less severe than May. PHOTO: Vuyani Dlomo"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/second-kouga-flood-less-severe-than-record-may-event\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Second Kouga flood less severe than record May event"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","name":"Kouga Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization","name":"Kouga Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Kouga Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/"],"description":"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.","email":"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"042-992 5650","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/d9d8e6bb40fa6983d90edd80d15a679f","name":"Kouga Express","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22f77b1f16f172fed7f2f12332d462994b31e3350e7b884a75c69a7df5808854?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Kouga Express"},"description":"Ash Shaw is the founder of LightSpeed, a WordPress design and development agency established in 2003. With over 20 years of experience, Ash is a seasoned business manager, web strategist, and product lead specializing in WordPress, WooCommerce, AI-driven workflows, and digital publishing solutions. A key figure in the WordPress community since 2007, Ash has played a significant role in organizing WordCamp events, developing open-source projects, and leading UX\/UI improvements in WordPress-based platforms. Ash is passionate about design systems, block-based themes, and bridging the gap between design and development.","sameAs":["https:\/\/lightspeedwp.agency\/","https:\/\/facebook.com\/lightspeedwpdev","https:\/\/instagram.com\/lightspeedwpdev","https:\/\/linkedin.com\/company\/lightspeedwp","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/x.com\/lightspeedwp","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@lightspeedwp"],"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/author\/lightspeedwp\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Kouga-Dam-4-June.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":297804,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-and-kou-kamma-brace-for-more-rain-after-may-floods\/","url_meta":{"origin":298044,"position":0},"title":"Kouga and Kou-Kamma brace for more rain after May floods","author":"Kouga Express","date":"1 June 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Residents in Kouga and Kou-Kamma are urged to prepare for severe weather after SAWS issued a Level 5 warning for disruptive rain from 3 to 4 June.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"SANParks suspends trails and water activities across multiple sections as Orange Level 8 warning signals dangerous conditions in the days ahead.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/fence-7435286_1280-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":298036,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/flood-relief-from-gift-of-the-givers-brings-hope-to-kouga-families\/","url_meta":{"origin":298044,"position":1},"title":"Flood relief from Gift of the Givers brings hope to Kouga families","author":"Kouga Express","date":"10 June 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Gift of the Givers continues to provide emergency relief to flood-stricken Kouga communities after a second major flood in less than 30 days.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Gift of the Givers continues to provide emergency relief to flood-stricken Kouga communities after a second major flood in less than 30 days.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/couleur-soup-1503117-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/couleur-soup-1503117-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/couleur-soup-1503117-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/couleur-soup-1503117-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/couleur-soup-1503117-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/couleur-soup-1503117-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":297926,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/kouga-roads-closed-after-severe-flooding-and-rising-waters\/","url_meta":{"origin":298044,"position":2},"title":"Kouga roads closed after severe flooding and rising waters","author":"Kouga Express","date":"4 June 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Kouga Municipality has closed several roads and river crossings after severe flooding, with a Level 8 weather warning issued for the region.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Kouga Municipality has closed several roads and river crossings after severe flooding, with a Level 8 weather warning issued for the region.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/road-closure.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/road-closure.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/road-closure.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/road-closure.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/road-closure.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/road-closure.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":297304,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/watch-r62-collapses-between-kareedouw-and-joubertina-in-worst-eastern-cape-flood-damage-thus-far\/","url_meta":{"origin":298044,"position":3},"title":"WATCH: R62 collapses between Kareedouw and Joubertina in worst Eastern Cape flood damage thus far","author":"Kouga Express","date":"8 May 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The collapse of a section of the R62 between Kareedouw and Joubertina is the worst road infrastructure damage from the Eastern Cape floods.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The collapse of a section of the R62 between Kareedouw and Joubertina is the worst road infrastructure damage from the Eastern Cape floods.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/R62-road-collapse.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/R62-road-collapse.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/R62-road-collapse.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/R62-road-collapse.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Kouga Express","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298044"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298044\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":298046,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298044\/revisions\/298046"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/298045"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298044"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=298044"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=298044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}