05 FEBRUARY 2020 | ISSUE 442 | FREE
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THE FIERCE STORM It’s been a fortnight of weather extremes with brown rain falling as a result of a dust storm, 44degree temperature to mark the start of the 2020 School year and a storm like no other. On Wednesday the 22nd January we received a dirty dumping of rain overnight, with many of us waking up to brown pools, windows and cars. It began with a dust storm in the state’s north at Mildura that slowly made its way through Victoria. At 10:30 pm the temperature had risen back up to 33degrees. The heat was on the rise again last week with Thursday January 30th giving us a taste of what was to come. Friday’s temperature peaked at 44.1degrees, recorded at Mangalore weather station at 3:15pm. The temperature didn’t fall below 40 until after 8:30pm. A restless night was felt by all with temperatures lingering around the mid 20’s all night long with hardly a breath of wind.
That brings us to Saturday February 1st. A FIERCE storm during the afternoon created havoc for the region, with emergency services called out to fallen trees, powerlines down and roofs ripped off buildings. The storm system was fast moving, "very dangerous storm with destructive winds" prompting an emergency warning to be issued from VicEmergency. The storm arrived just before 4pm with residents shocked by its ferocity. Observations recorded at the Mangalore weather station confirming the strength of the storm that had bore down on the region. 128klm gust lasting recorded from 3:59pm to 4:08pm, and with 100% humidity there’s no reason to wonder why we were all , and with 100% humidity there’s no reason to wonder why we were all feeling the heat. SES, CFA, AUSNET and Strathbogie Shire Council responded to hundreds of calls for help after high winds, and heavy
rain caused damage to an area stretching from the south and west of Nagambie from Graytown to Avenel and through to the ranges. Avenel and Nagambie residents were left without power for several hours with damage to power lines along Bank Street and throughout Avenel. With power lines down and trees blocking road access residents responded quickly to keep everyone safe before emergency services arrived. Avenel’s Anderson, Livingstone and Shelton Streets resembled a movie set, straight from the blockbuster, ‘Twister’. Trees littered the streets while the community came out to assess the damage. Incredibly no one was injured. Belinda Steers was feeding her chickens when the storm hit Avenel just after 4pm on Saturday. “It (the storm) rolled towards us at great speed. It was frightening. I ran towards the house making it to the door when the trampoline slammed into the
veranda. It didn’t last long but the damage is extensive.” A local fishing competition was taking place at Major’s Creek Reserve, Nagambie when the storm hit. Fisher, Mick Miller said, “We were on the water fishing and the wind started gusting. Trees were being blown across the water. We had nowhere to go, so we positioned the boat in the middle of the river and hoped for the best. We were lucky. Upon arriving back at the campsite, it was total chaos. Trees uprooted, cars crushed, I don’t know how no one was killed”. Lough Erin, South of Nagambie had fences destroyed along Muller’s Road, with fallen trees flattening the fence to the ground. Surrounding properties reported fences down, fallen trees blocking access to properties, damage to buildings and stock out on roads. The Strathbogie Shire roads crew continued to clear roads of debris on Sunday and will continue to do so during the week ahead.