UTTER devastation, that is the only way to describe Mirboo North, who bore the brunt of Tuesday’s wild Victorian weather.
Described by some as a scene straight out of a natural disaster movie, residents had no warning of what they would truly face. They knew a storm was coming but the tornado like experience was unexpected and it was all over in a matter of a few minutes.
Huge eucalypt and manna gums lie broken or uplifted, debris is strewn across roads, paths and buildings, powerlines dangle like string cheese, it’s surreal and absolutely devastating.
Residents impacted estimate the width of the ‘tornado like storm’ was no more than 500 metres wide, it’s path clearly visible in Mirboo North where one side of town appears unaffected and the other chaos with initial calculations deeming approximately 20 homes uninhabitable.
Some watched on from their home offices, others elsewhere in their homes, for one couple their front row seats were inside their car, which became trapped on Thorpdale Road as huge gums were brought down in front and behind their car – absolute fear and terror setting in, no-one quite knew when it might just land on the roof; and they were not alone as gums landed on the back of another Ute throwing it and twisting it in the air.
As luck would have it they lived, even with a tree landing on the roof, but it’s certainly not a moment easily forgotten.
Down the road, Pam Pincini clears her roof in pieces from her neighbour’s property with daughter, Jodie, son, Jason, a local teacher and various other family members.
Fortunately for Pam, she was enjoying a night in Waratah Bay when disaster struck.
“The roof is gone,” Pam stated is disbelief.
“(The storm) blew through my windows and lifted the roof and moved it to my neighbour’s yard.
“The rain came, the install batts soaked up the rain, and then it went into the plaster and the roof started leaking inside – everything is wet inside; carpets are saturated.
“The ceiling is just going to fall in, the lights that were there, you can see the sky – I have my own sky lights.
“I had to go and get it and bring it back here,” she said, pointing to the tin skewed and warped lying on the front natures strip.
Pam’s once beautiful view across the reserve down to the swimming pool is now flattened with tops of old gums covering the ground; the gums that once blocked houses on Wanke Road and Laura Rise now visible through the remaining trees.
“I’m alive, the house can be repaired,” Pam continued.
“Everybody has been fantastic.”
A couple from Inverloch came to see if they could assist and according to Pam spent six hours with her fellow neighbours assisting and carrying trees and debris, a near impossible task for those less mobile.
For Pam, her knight in shinning armour was a local schoolteacher who helped cut the roof into pieces with an angle grinder that could be carried through the yard.
“People have been absolutely marvellous.”
“I’m lucky we didn’t have (large) trees (on the property).”
Where to from here Pam is unsure, but she has contacted her insurance.
For daughter Jodie the experience was harrowing.
“It was traumatic,” Jodie said, recalling the moments after the impact as she walked up the road.
“Walking – there were cars trapped under the trees. Our neighbours were trapped in their car… another lady, Julie, was trapped by herself and she didn’t know what to do – whether to crawl into the (footwell), but two minutes and it was over.
“The hailstones were like golf balls. It looked like snow… The wind was unbelievable.
“It was like a freight train hit,” Jodie explained pointing out where the main width of destruction occurred.
“There was no orientation.”
On Thorpdale Road you could never see town, now you can.
On the corner of Berrys Creek Road and Grand Ridge the huge Strzelecki gum was brought down, and as locals explained people have fought many battles over 20 years to save it, and in two minutes it was on the ground.
Nearby a shed lies flattened struck by another falling gum.
Down the road questions are raised with a planning application for a subdivision previously held up due to two gums, one home to an eagle, now part of the casualties with residents fearful the planning application will be permitted, and the rest of the gums flattened.
Incident command point established
Over the other side of town, the CFA Mobile Command point was established on Burchell Lane in the carpark opposite Mirboo North Fire Station.
“We’ve come to provide communication support,” a member of the Edithvale CFA explained.
“We have limited capabilities to charge phones, but we do have telephones people can use to make urgent calls, and we are here for members of the community if they are stuck reporting damage – we can log it all, do not hesitate to knock.”
Across the road, Berrys Creek Captain and Mirboo North Sector Commander Dannielle O’Loughlin coordinates resources.
“It is not going to be quick,” Captain O’Loughlin stated in regard to the clean-up.
“There is major damage to houses, at the moment we are talking 20 plus houses that are uninhabitable, and we are moving onto outhouses. Our main priority is that people can get out of their houses and into town, so roadways, driveways, housing structures – to get it as safe as we can.
“The community is doing everything they can within their means,” Captain O’Loughlin continued noting large/heavy machinery was on its way.
“(People must) avoid powerlines, although the power is off, powerlines have to be treated as live.
“The power outage is due to the power distribution lines and until they are fixed the flow on effect remains. With so many powerlines down, we have to plan for it to be at least a week with no power.
“Water is back on but boil your water – that is more of a precaution.
“We also have four portable toilets on their way.”
Drivers are also urged to significantly slow down on the roads.
“If you don’t have to be on the road, don’t.”
State MPs boots on the ground
Temporarily working from Mirboo North Fire Station, Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien’s phone was hot.
Chasing updates from AusNet to relaying the devastation to state and federal politics.
“There is extensive damage, it is a cyclone or mini-tornado equivalent that has gone through a fairly large swathe of Mirboo North – the area near the swimming pool is catastrophic,” Mr O’Brien stated.
“The tops of gum trees taken off, trees down, and probably estimates of 20 homes damaged. One home doesn’t look too bad, but the roof has been lifted up, rain has got in, windows have been blown out.
“Strzelecki Highway is still a main issue; VicRoads have opened Meeniyan Road and that will become the detour to Leongatha.
“The Mirboo North community has, as expected, been absolutely magnificent – people turning up throughout the night with diggers, chainsaws, excavators, doing what they can to help, but this is a big job.
“The message provided to the Premier’s Office is that we will need help – people and big machinery; those that can lift and move trees.
“SES and CFA are doing their best, but Mirboo North will need support and there will be a cleanup for quite some time in the area. The South Gippsland community as it always does is kicking in and helping – not waiting for anyone else.
“Unfortunately, power and phones are still a big issue and will be for quite a while.
“Obviously every assistance the state and federal government can provide will be needed.
“This is looking like a localised version of the 2021 storm – although AusNet said it is tracking to be as big.”
But the credit must go to the community, who through it all have pulled out their gloves, boots and chainsaws and started clearing the debris so vehicles can get through, and damage assessed.
And whilst the experience lasted a mere couple of minutes, the memories and devastation may never truly leave.
