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“We believe there is about 14 (vehicles) at Cumberland River that need to be lifted out,” he told ABC Radio Melbourne.<\/p>\n
“And whilst there has already been two salvaged from the swallow shore break at Wye River, there is another two that we know of in below the surf.”<\/p>\n
A number of caravans have also disintegrated under the surface of the water, Mr Drayton said.<\/p>\n
Vehicles will be lifted to a car park on the road and then trucked to another area for owners or insurers to inspect.<\/p>\n
The helicopter has been organised by marine salvage experts who Parks Victoria use when vessels run into trouble along the Great Ocean Road.<\/p>\n
More than 178mm of rain fell in the area over a period of six hours last Thursday, with the Lorne station registering its highest 24-hour reading since records began in 1884.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of people were displaced, with a child injured and flown to hospital.<\/p>\n
The area is a popular tourist spot, welcoming thousands of holidaymakers over school holidays.<\/p>\n
Water quality in the area has returned to normal, Victoria’s Environment Protection Authority confirmed on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Risk to human health from swimming is considered likely to be low but the regulator cautioned people to wear gloves, goggles and rubber boots while cleaning up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Black Hawk helicopter has been called in to retrieve cars washed out to sea after record flash flooding. Authorities began to recover vehicles at Wye River and Cumberland River along Victoria’s Surf Coast on Thursday morning after torrential rain wreaked havoc a week earlier. The Great Ocean Road between Lorne and Skenes Creek has […]<\/p>\n