Elsie Lange
Following last week’s flooding and more wet weather to come, Macedon Ranges council held three community information sessions with local emergency services to discuss recovery, communications, support and preparation.
Residents were told to prepare for more wet weather from this Thursday, and to get ready by sourcing their own sandbags, communicating with neighbours and setting up flood plans.
At a session on Monday in Kyneton, council emergency management coordinator Eliza Tipping said there was another 50 millimetres of rainfall expected for the region this week, which was impacting reparation and recovery efforts.
“We won’t be able to completely repair [roads]… we’re in a flood campaign statewide… there are townships and thousands of properties and Victorians displaced with additional events expected,” Ms Tippey said.
“I’m sorry it’s not good news, but better that we do know what’s coming, and the [Bureau of Meteorology’s] forecast has been very accurate.
“We’re really encouraging community and businesses and organisations to monitor those and also to have the VicEmergency app installed, and activate your flood plan or undertake some planning for your property or business.”
She directed residents to Victoria State Emergency Service (SES) website for flood planning and the council’s dedicated flood webpage.
Council chief executive Bernie O’Sullivan encouraged residents to call if they have been impacted by the floods for help with insurance and financial support information.
“The federal government has announced a number of different disaster payments and allowances and council is making sure that Macedon Ranges residents who are affected… have access and that Macedon Ranges is declared as an affected local government area,” he said.
The state government has also announced Macedon Ranges council will receive $500,000 through the Council Flood Support Fund to support clean up efforts.
Woodend resident and former emergency manager with SES, Pete Stanley, raised concerns about the danger of inadequate mobile phone coverage residents experienced during the flooding on Thursday last week.
“When we lose power, most people in town do not have access to internet at all… if this was a fire, we would be in dire straits – I say that as a community member but also as an incident controller as well,” he said.
Ms Tipping said there were council projects underway to improve off-grid power sources to assist communications.
“Unfortunately it hasn’t been ready for this event… If your battery powers out on your device then may not get [access to the VicEmergency app], so we rely on common sense, which I know sometimes doesn’t prevail,” she said.
She reiterated it was important to have community members who can take charge and provide advice in disaster situations.
Telstra regional manager Marcus Swinburne said power outages had not impacted the network, but the overload of people using the network which caused communications problems.
He said work was being done to construct another mobile tower.
“The challenge with Woodend is not coverage per se, it’s a capacity and congestion issue… when NBN and fixed lines go down, everyone piles onto the mobile network,” he said.
He said the tower in Woodend was hoped to be completed by December 15, depending on challenges faced during installation including the wet weather.
Disaster support service VCC Emergencies Ministry represented by Rosie Baker encouraged residents to reach out.
“We’re basically here for you to unload on and get some support from, it’s always good to be able to talk about how bad things have been and to get it out,” she said.
A representative from Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health said service was available to support community members who needed extra psychosocial help or counselling, now and in coming weeks.
The service is able to assist with overnight emergency accommodation if needed.
In response to community questions regarding evacuation sites, Ms Tipping said council could not always predetermine the areas and worked with emergency services to identify the right spot.
“We do have some earmarked, but it will depend on how the emergency is playing out,” she said.
“Unfortunately, we can’t always predict what a flood is going to do, we’ll have a fair idea… the key for that is to stay connected [either] through your ABC local radio, the VicEmergency App and word of mouth.”
The small town of Darraweit Guim suffered significantly in the floods, with nine houses inundated and residents forced to evacuate to a community hall.
Mr O’Sullivan said the immediate priority for council was supporting the Darraweit Guim community in the aftermath.
“Including helping them remove the waste from their properties, supporting them with portable toilets and showers where possible and connecting them with financial assistance that’s available through the state government and increasingly the federal government,” Mr O’Sullivan said.
Gisborne Police Sergeant Geoff Clapham said there were concerns about looting and burglaries in Darraweit Guim, with police keeping an eye on the area.
He also reiterated to residents not to drive through flood waters.
“At the end of the day, if you can’t see the line on the road, don’t go driving through, obey all the signs in the area,” Sergeant Clapham said.
“If Triple-0 is needed, call it, but we want to try and keep it freed up for more important jobs as well.”
Contact council on 5422 0333.
