Charlotte Varcoe
IT was wild weather over the weekend with the Mount Gambier and District State Emergency Services (SES) responding to 26 calls throughout the region.
Across the South East, the SES volunteers responded to two building walls collapsing, a tree falling on top of a house and multiple trees across roads.
As many community members battled the wind and rain which swept the region, volunteers were constantly on the go from Friday night through until Sunday afternoon.
Mount Gambier and Districts SES regional district officer Brad Flew said despite the number of callouts it was a successful weekend with no reported injuries.
“We saw a tree fall on the top of a house and it fell over, resting on the roof,” Mr Flew said.
“Crews were there to remove the tree and repair some minor damage done to the roof but we also responded to a couple of building collapses.
“A wall behind the Returned Services League had fallen over and another private shed wall had collapsed which resulted in the roof not being secure and causing a hazard.”
He said crews worked to secure the wall alongside council to ensure the area was safe.
“With the walls collapsing it was a bit of a public safety concern and obviously members of the public have access to that area but whilst there were no injuries or issues there it was mostly about isolating the power and making sure the scene was safe and establishing a cordon around the area so the public was safe from any exposed risks,” Mr Flew said.
“Our volunteers across the district were going from essentially Friday night through to Sunday morning and the weather really kept our crews busy.”
He said there were about 15 trees down ranging from trees over roads through to a number of trees and branches on houses and verandahs.
“It was a great outcome because there were no injuries and we also saw a number of community members already assisting and clearing some of the debris and damage in the areas,” Mr Flew said.
“As crews were moving around there were certainly members of the public helping out and lending a hand to their neighbours which was great to see and this was done by picking up debris and making the area safe.”
He said other emergency services such as the police, Country Fire Service and Metropolitan Fire Service also helped over the weekend.
“It was a bit of an all-in approach over the weekend and it was great to see the City of Mount Gambier out lending a helping hand with some of the trees down and branches,” Mr Flew said.
“There are a couple of weather systems that are being watched over the next few days to see if there will be any significant wind or rain but as we know this is probably the start of the fronts coming through for winter and spring so we are preparing for more winds coming through in the coming months.”
He said although there was no flooding this time, a flood risk was something the SES kept a close eye on.
“At the moment, given the soil is a little bit wetter than normal there is a slight increase in the risk of localised flooding,” he said.
“Overall we would like to thank our volunteers and the community for supporting them including the employers for releasing our volunteers to be able to respond.
“We also want to thank the community for being prepared and being aware of the weather situation coming through as it makes our jobs a lot easier and keeps everybody safe.”
