By JESSE GRAHAM
A COLOSSAL tree crashed through a Healesville roof last night, centimetres from a sleeping man, as wild winds ravaged the Yarra Valley and Dandenongs.
SES crews were called out to Ryans Road in Healesville, when a tree came down on a house at midnight last night (Monday 8 September), smashing through a roof and onto the bed in an upstairs bedroom.
Lyndy Winter said her son, Tom, was sleeping mere centimetres from a beam that came down with the tree, and that the roof above him was destroyed.
“I woke up with a smash to the house and yelled out for Tom – I knew exactly what had happened,” she said.
She said that, despite being shaken by the experience, both she and Tom were uninjured, and she thanked the SES and CFA crews for their quick response.
Ms Winter said that, with thunderstorms set to hit the valley this evening, she had concerns for the uncovered hole in her roof, and that she was trying to contact an insurance assessor.
“This is the stressful part of what’s happened,” she said.
SES crews were up all night working to clear storm damage around the valley, with 100 kilometre winds toppling trees from Healesville through to Emerald.
Healesville SES Deputy Controller Geoff Stott said that some of his members were up all night and into the day, attending emergencies around the valley.
“It was certainly a very busy night and morning – we’re still going,” he said.
He said that areas such as the Black Spur and Chum Creek were hit particularly hard by the winds, and that the majority of callouts were for large-scale trees across roads.
The Healesville SES crews were called out around 60 times last night, while Upper Yarra SES received about 30 requests for assistance (RFA).
Upper Yarra SES member, Steve Green, said the majority of callouts had been for buildings damaged by wind or falling trees, and that many members were running on a few hours of sleep.
Lilydale SES spokesman Craig Hoenderop said the crew hadn’t had as many callouts through the night, but assisted Healesville and Upper Yarra with their work.
Meanwhile, a large number of trees were down in the Dandenongs, with powerlines struck down in Cockatoo and Victoria Police issuing a warning to drivers in the area.
Police spokeswoman Tanya Cooper said that strong winds had blocked roads in Olinda, Mount Evelyn, Belgrave and Healesville in the morning, and urged drivers to be careful when driving in stormy weather.
Mr Stott echoed these statements, and asked residents to be wary of the weather, as well as tying down loose items in backyards – such as plastic chairs.
Emerald SES member Ben Owen said crews had been busy overnight in the Dandenongs, and that the crew had two trucks out today, clearing storm damage.
AusNet Services (formerly SP AusNet) representative Jonathon Geddes said that around 1500 people in Healesville, Toolangi, Sassafras, Castella and Olinda were without power.
Mr Geddes said that crews were working to get power on in the next few hours, but further storms may hamper their efforts.
“It’s significant damage – these are large infrastructure jobs that do take some time,” he said.
“We do apologise to our customers for the inconvenience.”
For the full story, see next week’s Mail.
