Wild weather wreaked havoc last week.
A wild Tuesday night storm saw trees felled, powerlines destroyed, roofs removed and a total power and internet outage across large parts of the vast East Gippsland region.
Debris and damage was wide-spread, the power outage causing traffic chaos with Bairnsdale’s traffic lights not working and only one petrol station open for commuters to fill up their vehicles.
Wind gusts reaching 113km/h were recorded at just after 6pm last Tuesday at Bairnsdale’s airport weather station. Power was restored in the Bairnsdale CBD around 9.30am last Wednesday, however other parts of the town and region weren’t so fortunate.
Some supermarkets, cafes and restaurants were forced to get rid of thousands of dollars worth of stock, while internet issues meant eftpos was unavailable at numerous businesses and ATM machines were not in working order.
The East Gippsland Historical Society is in need of a new roof on the north side of its building on MacArthur Street, while in the same precinct numerous fallen trees downed the Bairnsdale City Oval fence.
Extensive damage to the electricity network across the state left 500,000 Victorians without power at its peak, 90 per cent of those customers were reconnected within 48 hours. However some areas, including Metung, still had not had power restored.
IMAGE: Last week saw carnage around the state after wild weather caused fallen trees, power outages, and roofs, such as the East Gippsland Historical Society’s, to be blown off. Nearby, fences at Bairnsdale City Oval were significantly damaged after trees were downed in the 113km/h winds last Tuesday (inset).