SA floods: Road to recovery days away as more rain hits
WEARY emergency service crews, volunteers and homeowners battled to save homes from flood waters on Sunday, ahead of predicted heavy rain that threatens to put more properties at risk.
- LATEST: More forecast, new flood warnings for north
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WEARY emergency service crews, volunteers and homeowners battled to save homes from flood waters on Sunday, ahead of predicted heavy rain that threatens to put more properties at risk.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will fly to South Australia on Monday to tour the region and inspect the extensive flood damage, as local MPs warned sightseers to “stay out” of the flood zone.
Homes around Gawler and surrounding towns, including Two Wells. Lewiston and Virginia were inundated with waters from the Gawler River which breached levees and broke its banks in several places. Many roads in the area remained impassable.
Paul Mecazzi said a combination of SES volunteers, SA Police and the Country Fire Service saved his parents’ house at Virginia from surging floodwaters on Saturday night and early Sunday morning.
“They did a wonderful job and they saved us for sure,” Mr Mecazzi said.
“This is the worst my family has seen and they’ve been in the area 57 years. We’re really worried about what’s to come but there are people worse off than we are.”
Cathy Trimboli said her home had so escaped damage, but she had family and relatives in the Virginia region struggling to save property, livestock and crops.
“The water broke across the railway lines and headed straight for Virginia,” she said.
“A lot of people had metre-high banks to protect their crops but the water went straight over them. My family has potatoes ready to harvest and have probably lost them all.”
“We’re all going to have to brace ourselves for more.”
SES volunteer Gary Omond had been so busy for 36 hours he hadn’t even caught up with the score from the AFL Grand Final.
“The Bulldogs won? That’s great,” the Elizabeth resident said when told the result.
“We’re just been filling and delivery sandbags and not thinking much on anything else.”
The SES has had around 2000 call outs since last Wednesday.
Mr Omond and his colleague Zoe Baker, usually a barista at the Edinburgh air base, dropped off dozens of sandbags, weighting more than 20kg each, to a home at Virginia where the flood waters were lapping at the back door.
Owner Tung Dinh, his brother Sun and mother Hieu Pham, helped tenants Neil and Sandra to sandbag the flooded back yard.
Livestock, including chickens, were rescued and locked in bedrooms for safety.
While most people have been responsible, others were impeding the emergency operations.
Sightseers were causing unnecessary congestion and drivers risked being marooned by driving through deepening flood waters.
Taylor MP Leesa Vlahos said police had told her they had to stop a family from launching boats in the swollen river.
“Listen and heed the warning of our emergency personnel they are experts in protecting human lives.” Mr Vlahos said. “This is about keeping people safe in our state.”
Minister for Volunteers Zoe Bettison echoed her sentiments.
“You do not know what is at the bottom of that water, so stay out,” she said.
“We’re still in the middle of this. With the rain to come, we might have worse to come.”
Ms Bettison said more than 2500 families had visited eight relief centres across South Australia since storms began on Wednesday.
Three relief grants are available to victims of the storms and floods.
Northern coastal towns are also cleaning up after storms caused eight metre swells, wrecking jetties and wiping out sand dunes.
The storm caused thousands of dollars damage on Thursday to the iconic jetty at Port Germein.
The town had just recovered some of its tourist trade after the state government rebuilt the pier wrecked by high seas earlier this year.
