Family’s wet welcome

By Danielle Galvin
A FAMILY who moved to Bayles just two weeks ago is among the worst hit by Friday’s heavy deluge.
Just weeks after they settled into their new home on Kooweerup-Longwarry Road, Jenny and Lindsay Pavitt have ripped up the carpet and assessed the damage from the 15 centimetres of water that invaded their home.
They were the worst-hit property in Bayles, and down the road in Kooweerup and Lang Lang, the story is much the same.
While most people are having their properties and farms assessed by their insurance providers for damage from Friday’s downpour, the authorities have described the floods as the worst to hit the towns on the outer fringe of the shire.
The Pavitts’ 5.5 acre property was entirely covered by water.
“We had water totally cover our property – there was no dry land,” Ms Pavitt said.
“There was 15 centimetres through the house.
“Now the water has all gone, it came up really quickly and it’s completely receded.”
In Kooweerup, CFA brigade captain Michael McNulty worked through the night on Friday with the State Emergency Service (SES) and the police to rescue residents trapped in their homes.
“I got the call around 11pm to help with the rescue effort,” he said.
Mr McNulty said there were three to four rescues in Kooweerup. Overnight and through the day on Friday, emergency authorities knocked on the doors of 60 homes.
Some of the worst-hit roads in Kooweerup were Boundary Drain Road, Ti Tree Lane, and Blackfish Drive.
“The people (were rescued) because they couldn’t get out of their houses,” he said.
“In the town, this would be the worst I’d seen it, but not the drains.”
Stranded residents who were evacuated from their homes made their way to Pakenham at the Cardinia Cultural Centre.
Roads were closed through the Lang Lang, Catani, Modella, Iona, Kooweerup and Bayles areas.
Cars were diverted from Sybella Avenue in Kooweerup, and the South Gippsland Highway near Caldermeade looked like a river rather than a road.
The area bounded by Longwarry Road, Bridge Road, the Westernport Highway, South Gippsland Highway and Kooweerup Road were affected by the flooding and remained closed until the water receded.
On Friday, Deputy Premier and Minister for Emergency Services Peter Ryan said residents affected by the severe weather and flash flooding would qualify for emergency assistance.
“Emergency Relief Assistance provides payments of up to $480 per adult and $240 per child up to a maximum of $1200 per household to cover emergency shelter, food, clothing, or personal items,” Mr Ryan said.
“In addition to that immediate support, I have today (Friday) activated Emergency Re-establishment Assistance to eligible Victorians in extreme hardship whose homes are uninhabitable, whose insurance will not be sufficient to make their homes habitable again, and who meet an established income test.”
Two Ellinbank and District Football League (EDFL) games were cancelled, with Ellinbank’s game at Kooweerup and Nar Nar Goon’s game at Lang Lang both washed out. Each of the four sides involved were forced to walk away with two premiership points, instead of the four points on offer for a win.
In other local football action, Narre Warren’s Casey Cardinia Football League (CCFL) game against ROC at Narre Warren North’s Kalora Park was postponed, and looks like being rescheduled for the Round 13 split-round.