Storm fury

Rainfall totals of between 60mm to 120mm were recorded throughout the district, falling in the space of hours.

There were instances of widespread flash flooding and trees down in Echuca-Moama and Rochester.

Homes and businesses were left without power in Echuca, Moama, Rochester, Nanneella, Timmering, Corop and Deep Creek.

Nearly 24 hours after the storm first hit, 473 customers across the district were without power, according to provider Powercor.

More than 90,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the Powercor network in the space of 24 hours, with significant damage to electricity infrastructure in Echuca, Cobram and Shepparton.

The storm hit about 90 minutes after the Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe thunderstorm warning.

The BoM said a deepening trough over western Victoria and a very moist airmass were responsible for the severe thunderstorm.

Volunteers from the Echuca CFA and the Vic SES Echuca unit were on the scene at the corner of High and Service Sts, which was one of the many spots impacted by flash flooding.

“We supported the SES, which ran the operation using a total of four appliances,” Echuca CFA captain Daniel Moylan said.

“One appliance pumped a total of 110,000 litres of water on the corner of Service St and High St, near the Echuca Regional Health car park.

“The jobs ranged from assessments of floodwater entering premises and damage due to floodwater.”

Other flood hotspots included Echuca’s Sturt St, Crossen St, Hare St and Ogilvie Ave, and Moama’s Lawson Dve and McLaren Dve.

Temporary road closures were in place on Tuesday night, although many of those thoroughfares, especially in Echuca, reopened on Wednesday.

Some people made the best of the situation as streets turned into canals and backyards became lakes.

Vision emerged on social media of a twin towns resident riding a jet ski down what is normally a quiet suburban street.

The clean-up effort began in earnest on Wednesday, with Murray River Council saying there were a number of damaged trees and branches impacting nature strips and local parks.

“Our teams are now actively working their way through the region to remove the debris and ensure our public spaces are safe and accessible,” a council spokesperson said.

“Our staff have also been clearing out stormwater services that were backed up due to the heavy rain and subsequent localised flooding. Most of this has now been rectified.

“We appreciate the community’s patience as we manage the aftermath of the storm and remind residents to please stay clear of damaged trees and branches.”

Murray River Council encouraged any residents with service requests to contact its call centre on 1300 087 004.

Campaspe Shire Council’s recovery team was on deck in Rochester yesterday to provide support for those who had lost power.

Residents could access a cool safe place with TV, power, tea, coffee, water, biscuits, toilets and showers (but will need to bring their own towels and toiletries).

Campaspe Shire Council encouraged any residents with flood recovery hub services to call 1300 666 535 and press option 2.

The Echuca Back 9 Golf Course was closed on Wednesday due to flooding, but was back open on Thursday with “a couple of decent water obstacles”.

Rich River Golf Club, which was heavily impacted by the pre-Christmas storm, closed its course on Wednesday for a second clean-up in the space of a fortnight.

The wider Goulburn Valley was also left to assess the impact of the storm.

Part of the footpath in front of Fab Flowers and Water Partners on Allan St, Kyabram, gave way after the town copped 30mm in 30 minutes.

Tatura was hammered by hail, in what one resident described as sounding like “a machine gun going off”.

Mooroopna, Shepparton and Euroa were other locations heavily hit, with Shepparton receiving 60mm of rain in the space of an hour.