State faces harrowing aftermath as fierce winds cause chaos

Victoria's tranquillity was violently disrupted as fierce winds, reaching speeds beyond 130km/h, tore through the state, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.

The wild weather battered Victoria with ferocity, pulling roofs from homes and uprooting trees, leaving thousands of residents grappling with the harrowing aftermath.



In the face of nature's wrath, the Victorian community has faced a colossal cleanup effort.

The storm's impact was so severe that tens of thousands of families were plunged into darkness, with power outages widespread across the region.

Despite the winds easing, many households remained without electricity well into the night as energy companies and emergency crews worked tirelessly to restore services.


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Victoria started the cleanup after wild winds blasted the state. Credit: 9 News Australia / YouTube


The State Emergency Service (SES) was inundated with calls for assistance, responding to over 2,800 requests by late yesterday morning.

The majority of these calls were due to trees that had been felled by the storm's might and the subsequent damage to buildings.

The hardest-hit areas included Warragul, Moe, Emerald, and Corio, where the SES worked alongside local communities to address the urgent needs of those affected.

The devastation was not limited to residential areas. The storm's impact was felt across various sectors, with disruptions to road, rail, and even educational institutions.

Public Transport Victoria reported that rail services had been compromised but were gradually resuming operation.

However, the V/Line Gippsland line faced significant challenges, with coaches replacing trains between Bairnsdale and Southern Cross due to obstructions on the tracks.



Schools were not spared either. St Helena Secondary College in Eltham and Yarra Ranges Special Developmental School were forced to close their doors for the day, alongside several non-government schools in the city's southeast, prioritising the safety of students and staff.

The wild weather also took a toll on the iconic beach boxes of Melbourne, which suffered damage amid the tumultuous winds.

The storm whipped the seas and sank the 82-year-old 'iconic boat' of Bayside Fishntrips in Melbourne.

The owner, Mark, described the loss as 'heartbreaking’, and said the waves were too powerful to get on and try and save it.



In a tragic turn of events, the storm claimed a life when a 63-year-old woman was killed as a tree fell on her cabin in Moama, near the NSW-Victoria border.

Her husband sustained injuries and was treated at Echuca Hospital.

Premier Jacinta Allan addressed the state, describing the weather as 'severe' and extending gratitude to the emergency services for their unwavering efforts.

‘Crews are out there on the ground right now working as quickly as they can, but also only working in areas where it's safe to do so,’ Allan said.

Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent acknowledged the significant number of homes rendered uninhabitable

‘There are some homes that are inhabitable, but we don't know exactly how many yet, as impact assessments need to be undertaken,’ Nugent said.



As Victoria begins to recover, the Bureau of Meteorology has cancelled its severe weather warning, noting that the damaging winds have subsided.

‘A vigorous west-southwesterly airstream with embedded showers is affecting southern Victoria in the wake of a cold front. Damaging winds have eased as the front moves further away,’ it said.

The strongest wind gust recorded was an astonishing 146 km/h at Wilsons Promontory, south-east of Melbourne.

Other areas, such as Mount Gellibrand, Mount Hotham, and Falls Creek, also experienced gusts surpassing 130km/h, highlighting the storm's intensity.

A Coastal Hazard Warning remained current for the Victorian coastline.

You can watch 9 News’ coverage below:


Credit: 9 News Australia / YouTube

Key Takeaways
  • Victoria has experienced severe weather, including wild winds that have caused widespread damage and power outages across the state.
  • A woman was tragically killed in Moama when a tree fell on her cabin during a violent storm.
  • The State Emergency Service (SES) responded to thousands of calls for assistance, with many reports of fallen trees and building damage.
  • Although the severe weather warning has been cancelled, many families remained without power and cleanup efforts continued as the state recovers from the damage.
Our thoughts are with those affected, and we encourage our readers to share their experiences and support for those currently navigating the storm's aftermath. Let us know in the comments below.
 
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If you have suffered major power failure, don't worry as "DILL BILL" Bowen will save you all with his "WINDMILLS". I completely understand your dire circumstances at this time. Certainly hope that all of your power is restored ASAP for all affected.
 
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Not just Victoria 1000's in SA left without power on Sunday /Monday along with the big clean up of broken trees and damage from high winds and flying debris. There are people outside of the Holy 3 States of Vic, NSW & QLD
I was going to say the same thing - there are others outside of those states who read your articles! But we never seem to make a mention!
 
We were lucky as our power only went out for a short time, some only a few minutes away were out for much longer. The last night was the worse for damage but it was incredibly windy for days. Wildlife suffered with baby possums being blown from trees plus wombats and kangaroo also suffered. Know my own pets were not handling the wind well. It’s the longest period of wild weather I think I’ve seen.
 
We’ve experienced over a week of terrible weather here in northern Tasmania. The winds & rain over the weekend were extreme, Launceston had gusts up to 130ks on Sunday night. There are trees down everywhere, unfortunately a few landed up going through houses. There are still some rivers in flood all over the state. A lot of people are still without power due to poles blowing over & the ground is too wet to erect new ones. Fortunately we weren’t affected but several friends were. My brother in law who lives in the north west of Tassie will be without electricity for at least another week, fortunately he has a generator. Stay safe everyone regardless of which state you live in. Patricia.
 
I live in Victoria in the northern town of Shepparton. My two daughters live in Melbourne when I sent texts to them asking how they were doing the one living in a semi-high rise felt everything and the other was fine. They asked me how Shepparton coped, and I said its fine - oops north Shepparton may have been fine not so good down south.
 
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We had the same here in Tasmania we lost 5 trees blown down and several places in the north of Tasmania lost power we only lost power for 24 hours but my son who lives only 30 minutes away from us hasn't had power since Saturday he was told they will get power back Thursday here's hoping
 
The clean ups from these disasters will take months. I hope those doing it will be safe. I can't start to imagine the full extent of the damage, possibly people left homeless, others unemployed.
SA had severe flooding in Mannum on the River Murray and it took several months for teams of volunteers and a company of employed people to clear the worst of the mess up. That was about 2 or 3 years ago.
 

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