By Callum Ludwig
Upper Yarra communities have shown remarkable resilience given the events of the last week.
The community has banded together to support each other through the flooding of Yarra Junction, the closure of the Warburton Highway due to a landslip and the power outages that affected thousands of businesses and homes.
Manager of ADRA Redwood Community Centre in Warburton Kate Barratt said residents are becoming more and more resilient with each incident that arises.
“People knowing where to go for answers, checking in on each other more than ever and I feel like our community is so good at getting together to find solutions for things,” she said.
“From the feedback I’ve had, there wasn’t anyone that was left in dire need without help. We are learning more and more to look out for our neighbours, and if people are able to watch out for them and check in on the vulnerable members of the community, we’ll get through big things like this.”
The Warburton Highway between Hooks Rd and Scotchmans Creek Rd, Warburton was closed due to landslip and road damage from Friday 28 October through to Tuesday 2 November, more than 5000 homes were without power in the Upper Yarra were without power from Sunday night through Monday and the main strip of Yarra Junction was flooded on Thursday 27 October.
Ms Barratt said really highlighted how vulnerable the community can be.
“Especially with the danger of Old Warburton Road, a lot of people were anxious to drive along there with blind corners and people not driving to the conditions. A lot of people decided just to stay home, but a lot also rely on public transport. But we did our best to reach out to community members and ensured people were supported who needed prescriptions food supplies, or medical appointments,” she said.
“Then with the power outage, it cut that communication even further between us, Yarra Ranges Council and the Warburton Advancement League and the Warburton Emergency Planning group. The Warburton bakery helped by telling people to go for support and information with their noticeboard, and overall we were able to reassure people that solutions were being found.”
Other communities in the Yarra Ranges have also been hit hard, with Lilydale, Coldstream, Seville, Upwey and Yarra Glen all being flooded in recent weeks, while other towns in the Dandenong ranges suffered from the major winds on the night of Sunday 30 October.
MS Barratt said the community are both worried about future events that will hit the community hard while also confident they can tackle what comes their way.
“The uncertainty about when the highway will fully open is a scary one leading into bushfire season and another thing that keeps arising is the NBN when the power is out as internet access is a real concern as well,” she said.
“A lot of the community are able to look at it in good spirits and say ‘ What else you got for us?’ We are prepared for almost anything. It’s absolutely vital to have available community services, especially if there are people that are living alone, especially when we are without bus services, access to carers or other things.”
Potential suggestions to further prepare Upper Yarra communities for emergencies have included central generators accessible for everyone and further improving communication to direct people to the right places for help.
