Cleaning up after the storm

COUNCIL crews and contractors battled violent gusts and torrential rain and hail as they worked around the clock to make flood-damaged sites safe earlier this week.

Freak storms hit Geelong on Sunday with 47.4mm of rain bucketing down throughout the night – including 22.4mm between 6.30pm and 7pm alone, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

To put this into perspective, that’s more than the entire monthly average rainfall for February in one night. And in some parts of Geelong, these figures were much higher.

On Sunday, council received 259 after hours customer requests with most of these relating to fallen trees, drainage and roads, and dogs spooked by thunder and lightning that had escaped their homes.

We saw flash flooding, hail and winds tearing free branches and toppling hundreds of trees across Geelong.

Thousands of homes lost power throughout the night and many sustained damage from the heavy wind and rainfall.

I witnessed this damage firsthand as I visited residents and businesses in Geelong West on Sunday night.

Proprietors built sandbag walls in a valiant attempt to protect their businesses, and many backyards and homes were inundated.

But while it was disheartening to see the damage and impact of the storms, I am proud of the City of Greater Geelong’s response.

As soon as soon the storm hit, we had people on ground.

Our tree crews and arborists worked throughout the night with the SES to remove fallen branches, trees and other hazards from our roads.

Other crews did their best to prevent and limit flooding and rain damage at numerous locations across our region, and to close and monitor flooded roads for public safety.

Throughout these efforts our Emergency Management team worked closely with government agencies, charities and other support organisations to make sure our response was as co-ordinated and effective as possible.

On Monday the recovery began, with crews and contractors cleaning up and repairing everything from minor roof leaks and flooded buildings to collapsed ceilings and structural damage at several Council facilities.

Our street sweepers were out on our roads cleaning up piles of debris washed up by the floods, while our building and road inspectors were busy assessing the damage.

And they did this as we sweltered in our second consecutive day of mid-to-high thirty-degree temperatures.

As the recovery continues this week and beyond, I’d like to thank everyone involved – both from the City of Greater Geelong and other organisations – for their tireless work.

It has been a privilege to witness the dedication and teamwork of our crews as they go above and beyond to help those in need.

Many of these council crews and employees, working so hard to help others, were also affected by the storms at their own homes.

On behalf of Council, I applaud them for their efforts.

To the wider Greater Geelong community, I thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to repair and reopen our facilities.

It has been inspiring to see people come together as we work to overcome the impacts of this damaging storm event.

Cr Stretch Kontelj

Mayor, City of Greater Geelong