By Marcus Uhe
The clean-up is underway after extreme rainfall forced a disruption to daily life across the City of Casey.
Water hazards on a golf course can be difficult to avoid at the best of times, but the downpour forced the Settlers Run Golf Course to close the back nine holes on Friday, as a number of holes were deemed unplayable.
In Endeavour Hills, the Endeavour Hills Rugby Club at Frog Hollow Reserve got away unscathed, despite the reserve being underwater on Friday morning.
Club president Jeff Lemalu said there was no damage to the clubrooms and facilities but some fixtures required rescheduling.
The Narre Warren SES unit received 43 calls for help across Thursday and Friday for primarily suburban street flooding, distributed in excess of 100 sandbags and assisted the council with setting up road closures, according to Unit Commander Damian Burns.
A large tree in Harkaway was also cause for concern after the soil became loose around its roots.
The unit also contributed in preparing sandbags for the communities in Victoria’s north. Some members went to Echuca and Shepparton to assist on the ground in the hardest-hit regions.
Despite the warnings, Mr Burns said the public still were not as aware of the danger as they needed to be.
Of particular concern was the persistence of motorists to drive through floodwaters, or enter on foot.
“People see a nice flat puddle and they don’t realise that under the road can be eroded,” Mr Burns said.
“What has been a nice flat road that they know, they don’t know anymore. The bitumen can be peeled and potholes can present. Under the bitumen is clay, rock and sand, and that can easily be washed away.
“When the drainage system becomes overloaded it goes into the sewerage system and when that becomes overloaded it goes onto the road, which puts general health at risk.
“You wouldn’t play in sewerage, so why would you play in flood water?”
Ahead of an expected wet summer due to the La Nina weather pattern, Mr Burns encouraged people to befriend their neighbours, who can be critical in assisting in emergency situations, and to pay close attention to information from emergency services.
The Narre Warren SES Unit, which currently services residents in the City of Casey, will be responsible for training the new volunteers at Cranbourne and Clyde.
If you’re interested in volunteering, head to ses.vic.gov.au/join-us/volunteer or call 1300 VICSES (1300 842 737).
