Community
4 April, 2024
Downpour causes damage through towns
HEAVY rain and wind caused havoc across Terang and Mortlake on Monday afternoon.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Mortlake experienced 31.2mm of rainfall on the day – which marked a significant percentage of the long-term average rainfall for the entirety of April (44.1mm)
A total of 35.4mm was recorded in Terang, representing more than half of the long-term average rainfall for the month over a 24-hour period.
The bulk of the rainfall occurred during a storm at around 1pm, with a number of Terang residents reporting the had recorded between 17-22mm of rain in the span of just minutes.
Minor flash flooding occurred in a number of streets in Terang around High Street, Baynes Street and Dow Street.
A State Emergency Service spokesperson said units in Terang and Mortlake had responded to incidents in their respective communities relating to water coming through roofs.
A number of trees and branches were brought down across the region as debris littered roads and footpaths.
One branch caused damage to the goal netting at the Terang Recreation Reserve, and another fell across the road on Emeny Street.
In Mortlake flooding caused the temporary closure of the outpatient service at Mortlake Community Health Centre.
Terang and Mortlake Health Care chief executive officer Julia Ogdin said maintenance staff had worked quickly to restore services to the community.
“Flooding was sustained to the reception area and the Out Patients department of the Mortlake Community Health Centre due to the heavy rain,” she said.
“Our maintenance team worked extensively to ensure the facility was safe to consumers and staff by Tuesday morning.”
