Croydon storm: AusNet still to restore power to 4600 homes following June 9 storms

Thousands of homes are still without power in Croydon as the impact of the storm devastation in Maroondah emerges.

Maroondah SES has responded to more than 500 incidents. Picture: Maroondah SES.

It could take months to clean up storm damage as Maroondah residents reel from one of the worst weather events the region has experienced.

Stories of devastation are emerging on social media as AusNet works to restore power to about 4600 houses in Croydon.

Many of those affected have reached out through Facebook to thank helpers and relay what happened on Wednesday night high winds swept through Melbourne’s outer east.

One couple were rushed to hospital after rescuers freed the pair who were trapped in their bed when a giant gum tree crushed their house.

Meanwhile another couple were in their new home for three days before it was destroyed in the storm.

DEVASTATION: YARRA RANGES STORM DAMAGE

This comes as roads were still closed over the weekend, with powerlines down that emergency services had not yet been able to attend.

Maroondah Mayor Kylie Spears said the council staff and contractors had worked throughout the weekend to help residents in need.

Cr Spears said the council would continue to offer hot showers at Croydon’s Aquahub and internet and charging points for devices at the town’s library in Civic Square this week.

She said the council was also contributing to a drive-through food relief service on Lusher Rd, operated by charity Hope City Mission for those experiencing financial hardship.

“We’ve had every man and his dog out there getting trees moved and trying to get things back to normal, so our community are as safe as they can be,” she said.

“We haven’t had a storm like this for a long time with the impact it has had on the community and the time it has taken to clean it up,” she said.

Cr Spears said the council was prioritising immediate community support but feared it could take “months” to clear fallen trees and other damage in its reserves once workers could gain access.

“We have the biggest tree coverage in metropolitan Melbourne, and therefore it impacts us significantly,” she said.

“It could take months to clear the storm damage in reserves, there is a lot to be done.”

Meanwhile, Maroondah SES cleared its mammoth log of outstanding jobs on the afternoon of June 13.

The unit responded to 560 requests for help since Wednesday night’s storms began, which volunteers believed was the worst single event to impact its service area in more than 15 years.

Spokeswoman Nadine Farrell said there was still a few fallen trees over powerlines in the area which the unit would clear once it was safe to do so.

“The power company is working really hard at the moment on their own clean up after these storms,” she said.
“Unfortunately, we all just need to be patient in waiting for them to disconnect the power before the SES can come and clear the trees.

“We would like to thank the Maroondah community for their patience and assistance throughout this time, I have seen so many beautiful stories of locals helping each other out”.

AusNet spokesman Steve Brown said its team members were working around the clock to reconnect affected residents as quickly as possible.

“This has been the biggest outage event we have experienced as a network … and unfortunately the eastern suburbs bought the brunt of the storm,” he said.

Mr Brown said residents could monitor AusNet’s outage tracker and its social media pages for updates.