I'm at a little town of Tyers, north of Traralgon. Lost power 6pm Wednesday. Someone at SPAusnet has thrown a dart at the clock and posted on their website that it will be back on at 1pm Sunday. Lucky we have gas stove, wood heater and gravity fed tank water, but don't know how long the electrically heated hotwater will last. Just like camping, but without having to pack up wet tent.
First callout with CFA at about 530am Thursday was to a neighbouring locality with a downed power line starting a fire. Left the fire going (it was struggling to keep going) so we could see where the live line was. Taped the area off and left the local brigade to guard the area until SPAust could get there to make safe, and we made ourselves available for other calls.
Headed back to station, but whilst stopped to clear a fallen tree off road got summoned to the Mantra building in Traralgon due to fire alarms going off and all other appliances already at other jobs.
Got there to find a heap of SES dudes mulling around. We thought this is alright. They'll have everything under control because none of us country bumkins knew anything about these fandangled alarm systems, but as we got out of truck we realised they were all standing around watching their cars bob around in the underground car park.
Ironically sent there to manage the probable emergency event, and some bean counter put them up in the only hotel in town with an underground carpark, right beside the creek that was going to flood. Hotel was only opened this year.
The Traralgon Creek is normally 0.5m high. It was 1.5m at 5am, and reached 5.3m at about 7am when we were at Mantra. I think it peaked at about 5.6m at lunchtimish.
Got talking to a maintenance guy, asking what he was up to - he had no idea. He'd got there at 630am to check out a water leak in one of the upper floors, parked in the LOWER basement with the rest of the employees without any issues, came out at 645am when alarms were going off to find the UPPER basement 1/2 metre under water. I think his ute might be the one featured on 7 news Facebook, bobbing around in underground carpark, until the security camera goes under water as well.
One of son's friends lives in Traralgon near creek. His wife went to work at about 530am without any issue. He got up at 630am to find 100mm of water through his house, and his run around car on street with water half way up windows. Luckily his recently purchased GQ (with only 150,000km on clock, only driven to church on Sundays) was parked in carport and only had water just over door sills. Needs a good clean out, but hopefully should be fine.
The numbers say this is a big flood. I think it has peaked a little higher than the last BIG BIG flood that I can remember from about 1997.
Heard somewhere tnat Baw Baw got 230mm. All to come down Latrobe and Thomson. This is what would of got Walhalla as well.
East Gippsland was spared the worst of it, with only "normal" flooding.
Evacuation alert broadcast for Traralgon again this arvo with another 80mm forecast for catchment.
Lots of facebook desktop warriors harping on about money greedy developers and councils shouldn't allow building in flood prone areas, but looking at various aerial and drone footage it looks like the majority of the flooded area is all the older areas that were built before anyone established building restrictions in flood zones, and historically get flooded every 25 to 50 years.
Most of the new developments look barely affected, but water is lapping at their back fences. Dare I say maybe the new engineers got the heights sort of right.
To top off yesterday, when I headed home from fire station found I had flat tyre. Must of picked up a little bit of shrapnel from a dead wattle that I had to drive around on way to fire station.
