WHAT we all witnessed on Wednesday night was some of the most spectacular, yet worrying, thunderstorm activity in recent memory.
Mildura and surrounds copped 193,204 lightning strikes, and close to 90mm of rain. It was the heaviest January rainfall since records began.
Water found its way into front doors, sheds and roof spaces. There were 128 calls made to the SES, four people needed rescuing from flash flooding events and no doubt families everywhere were managing family pets who aren’t big fans of thunder. Shout out to one local kelpie, Girly, who very bravely slept between her human parents, no doubt to keep them safe.
Dozens of homes and businesses were inundated, causing thousands of dollars of damage. It’s almost too hard to comprehend how frustrating this must be for our business community, which is trying to get back on its feet after the pandemic disruptions of the past two years.
The clean-up from this week’s deluge will take time, and many are still assessing the damage from the storm.
Obviously, another major concern with rain at this time of year is the impact on our crops, especially grapes. Having managed to get through the wheat harvest fairly successfully, our region was desperately hoping for a similar outcome on the blocks.
The success of our farmers each year is a huge determinant of the success of our businesses as farm spending is the lifeblood of our towns’ economies.
I’ve spoken to a few growers, and for the most part it’s not looking too bad.
There are some cases of vines being knocked out of the ground or being flooded, but if the rain can hold off and we get some good drying winds, it’s likely the crops will be OK. But it’s a dynamic situation.
My thanks go out to the SES, Lower Murray Water, CFA, Powercor and council crews who undertook the biggest emergency response in the state. Our community would be lost without you.
