Council facilities close as staff cop abuse

Some unsealed roads that had been rebuilt since flooding a fortnight ago were washed away again this week.

Storm clouds roll in over Geelong. Picture: Mark Wilson

Council staff have been copping abuse as Geelong grapples with more damage from flooding.

The council on Tuesday afternoon said its Belmont Depot was inundated and staff had been evacuated to protect their safety.

Multiple recreation facilities owned by Geelong council have been closed.

Late Tuesday, council said Barwon Valley Activity Centre, Balyang Par 3 Golf Course, Barwon Valley Golf Club, Lara Golf Club, Belmont Criterium Track and Belmont Park Pavilion had been closed until further notice.

The Belmont Dog Park remained closed having not yet re-opened following previous flooding.

Queens Park Golf Club was open, but had been reduced to nine holes.

City works crews continue to respond to road and drainage repair requests, however the rain event has seen the volume of work escalate significantly again.

Some unsealed roads that had been rebuilt since flooding a fortnight ago were washed away again this week.

Flooding in Geelong.

Mayor Trent Sullivan asked for patience and understanding from the community.

“The city’s customer service line is receiving a high volume of calls and unfortunately staff are being subject to abuse,” Mr Sullivan said.

“We understand the community wants to see roads and potholes fixed as quickly as possible but the amount of work is just enormous.

“Please be kind, both to our customer service staff on the phone and to our crews out on the road – they’re doing the absolute best they can in very difficult circumstances.”

Mr Sullivan urged residents to stay safe.

“The continued heavy rain is creating further stress for the community, particularly those with homes and businesses in low lying areas,” Mr Sullivan said.

“We ask that everyone look after yourselves and your family members by obeying road closure signs and never attempting to drive, walk or cycle through floodwaters.”

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast a medium chance of showers, becoming less likely late this afternoon and evening, for Geelong and the Surf Coast area on Wednesday.

Dramatic rescue at Lethbridge

A man was winched to safety in a dramatic swift-water rescue on Monday as flooding hit the Geelong region again.

Following a further 45mm of rain hitting the region within 12 hours, the swollen Moorabool River broke its banks.

The Victorian State Emergency Service (VICSES) South Barwon Unit were called to Maude, a township near Geelong, for a priority one job.

SES members winched a man to safety from the roof of a vehicle submerged in floodwater on Tuesday.

Volunteers arrived on the scene to find the driver had sought refuge on the roof of his vehicle.

The driver told volunteers that he had driven into the floodwater, and his vehicle had been swallowed by a fast-flowing, rapidly rising current.

A Victoria Police Air Wing helicopter was dispatched and used to winch the man from the sinking car to safety.

VICSES said the incident was a timely reminder to never drive through floodwater.

Victoria Police said there were no injuries.

Onlookers at Lethbridge and Maude were shocked to see a truck caught deep in the waterway, beyond multiple signs warning the road was closed, that day.

“A 64-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman, both from Lethbridge were winched from their truck by the Victoria Police helicopter,” Victoria Police Senior Constable Alistair Parsons said last month.

“Neither occupants sustained any injuries as a result of the incident.”

Monday’s rescue comes after four people were rescued in two separate incidents on October 14 at the same road.

Barwon River breaks its banks as wild weather continues

Authorities have closed access to the Barwon River as it once again broke its banks.

The Corangamite Catchment Management Authority on Tuesday said the river was closed due to public health and safety concerns as surrounding recreational areas had been inundated with water.

“The Corangamite CMA asks the public to please avoid using walking and cycling tracks, public reserves, and recreational areas around the river until water recedes and the area can be cleaned up,” the authority said.

Barwon River in flood from the Harrison Bridge. Picture: Mike Dugdale

“The Barwon River catchment and upper tributaries have experienced much higher than average rainfall over the past couple of months.

“The river in Geelong has repeatedly reached moderate flood levels over the past few weeks, and this week the Bureau of Meteorology has issued another moderate flood warning for the Barwon River.”

The authority said restoration works to ensure the area was safe for community access could not start until the area dried out completely.

Recreational areas include walking and cycling tracks, platforms, landings, access roads, and carparks.

Flood warning in place

A flood warning was issued for the Barwon River on Tuesday morning after the region was soaked with rain throughout Sunday night and Monday.

At Geelong the river is at 1.98m and may exceed 3.5m into Tuesday.

Vic Emergency is warning residents to avoid the flooded areas and never enter floodwaters.

The weather bureau reported 70mm of rain had been recorded in the Barwon River catchment in the last 48 hours as of Tuesday morning.

The Moorabool River at Batesford Bridge and Barwon River at Geelong are both rising as of 4am on Tuesday while the Leigh River at Shelford is currently sitting at 7.3m and remains steady.

The SES Bellarine unit responded to seven calls for assistance in the last 24 hours as of 7am on Tuesday.

SES Victoria also responded to three calls in Inverleigh, three in the South Barwon area and two in Teesdale in the last 24 hours.

Geelong region soaked by rain

South Barwon Reserve is again under water after rain soaked the Geelong region throughout Sunday night and Monday.

The reserve’s already soaked ovals were unable to absorb any more water and on Monday afternoon were partially flooded.

Just two months ago, on October 16, the South Barwon Cricket Club’s rooms were saved from flooding by a mere 20cm.

Geelong Racecourse recorded 34mm of rain to 9am Monday, with the majority falling from about 1am.

Flooding weather a house on the Hamilton Highway at Murgheboluc needed the CFA Õs heavy duty pumps to help to stop the house being inundated with flood water after the heavy rains overnight. Picture: Mark Wilson

A Murgheboluc man needed the Country Fire Authority’s heavy duty pumps to stop his Hamilton Hwy house being inundated with flood water after the heavy rain.

It comes as the weather bureau issued a moderate flood warning for Batesford and Geelong on Monday afternoon following rapid rises along the Leigh, Moorabool and Barwon rivers.

“Moderate flooding has developed along the Leigh River at Shelford. Along the Moorabool River, minor flooding is expected at Batesford Bridge from early Monday afternoon, with further rises to the moderate flood level likely from late Monday afternoon,” the warning said.

South Barwon ovals are flooded again. Picture: David Smith

“Downstream along the Barwon River at Geelong, minor flooding is likely from Monday afternoon, and moderate flooding may developfrom Monday night.”

Stormy conditions created a spectacular light show on Sunday, with flashes of lightning visible across the region.

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Michael Efron said wet conditions would be followed by cold days with a top 13C forecast for Tuesday.

Powercor confirmed about 300 customers in North Shore were affected by an outage on Sunday, while the SES responded to 41 calls for assistance across Geelong, the Surf Coast and the Bellarine.

A number of roads in the south of Golden Plains Shire were affected by flooding, including some major state government-managed roads.

The Hamilton Hwy was closed between Cressy and Geelong due to flooding, and roads around Cressy, Rokewood, Inverleigh, Teesdale, Shelford and Bannockburn were also closed.

Golden Plains mayor Gavin Gamble said the roads would most likely reopen on Wednesday, depending on the severity of damage which council will assess when the flooding subsides.

City hit by wild storm

Storms rolled into Geelong on Sunday night with residents with North Shore left with no power.

Powercor confirmed 299 customers were affected by the outage.

The cause of the outage is under investigation and power is expected to be restored by 11am on Monday.

A Vic Emergency spokesperson said there had been 41 calls for assistance across Geelong, the Surf Coast and the Bellarine in the last 24 hours for flooding and tree damage.

Inverleigh was the most affected suburb with seven calls for assistance followed by Shelford, 4, Teesdale, 4, and Bannockburn, 3.

Geelong has received 33mm of rain since 9am on Sunday with showers expected throughout Monday.

SES Victoria said they have received more than 550 requests for assistance in the last 24 hours as of Monday morning.

There has been more than 13,500 calls for help to SES Victoria in the last 30 days.

Wet weather to hit Geelong

A flood watch was issued for the Barwon River on Friday afternoon.

Residents are being urged to stay informed with more rain expected over the weekend.

Minor to moderate flooding is expected across southern parts of the state from Sunday.

River levels are expected to rise with catchments already saturated due to recent heavy falls.

A 100% chance of rain and a possible storm is forecast for Sunday.

Rain expected across the region over the weekend

Wet weather is expected across the region from Thursday afternoon and into the weekend.

Geelong has already received 5mm of rain since 9am on Thursday morning.

There is chance of a thunderstorm rolling into the region on Thursday evening.

The Bureau of Meteorology have forecast a 70 per cent chance of rain for Friday.

Showers are forecast for the region until next Tuesday.

Minor flood warnings are in place for some parts of Geelong along the Barwon River with emergency services reminding residents that flood waters are highly dangerous.

Originally published as Council facilities close as staff cop abuse