SWAN Hill State Emergency Service has assisted homeowners in the Macedon Ranges after their region was ravaged by wild weather.
Three State Emergency Service volunteers from the Swan Hill SES Unit – Darren Barnes, Rod Knight and Rohullah Hossaini – spent their long weekend clearing trees and repairing houses in Woodend.
Swan Hill SES unit controller Darren Barnes said the area was hit by wind storms, causing trees and powerlines to fall, resulting in blocked roads.
“The powerlines will be down for at least another week before they’re fixed – there is kilometres of damaged powerlines,” Mr Barnes told The Guardian.
The trio were tasked with repairing roofs, clearing trees from driveways and roads, and welfare checks on the elderly.
They also checked out damaged properties that had been vacated because the damage was too extreme.
Mr Barnes said some of the fallen trees were two metres in diameter, and up to three to four metres across the base.
“One trunk was the size of our ute. It’s just ridiculous,” he said.
Mr Barnes said large equipment, including excavators, was used to clear the roads to allow the SES to gain access to the homes.
He said when they entered the homes, occupants had been without power for up to four days.
On Saturday at 6am, the SES had 169 jobs on the books in the Woodend area to complete over the two days, out of 600 jobs across the entire Macedon region.
