Weather News

Reports of storm damage still coming in

Another example of the tennis ball-sized hail stones that hit Melbourne. - Audience submitted

Floodwaters in the main street of Shepparton on Sunday. - ABC

The State Emergency Service (SES) says it will take until Friday to complete work on securing buildings and cleaning up damage caused by hail and heavy rain over the long weekend.

The SES received more than 7,000 calls for help from across the state.

The Melbourne suburbs of Knox and Malvern appear to be hardest hit.

There has been significant damage to more than 100 houses, flats, businesses and nursing homes, as well as Docklands Stadium and the Southern Cross Station.

The SES state duty officer, Justin Kibell says there are about 1,700 jobs still on the books.

He says the majority of the work has to do with damaged roof tiles and ceilings.

"A number of properties have got issues with possibility of rain entering through their roof. So we're up tarping the roofs and also just assisting with trees that might have been damaged and fallen on to properties as well," he said.

As of yesterday there had been over 40,000 insurance claims for damage from the storm.

Craig Lapsley, the director of emergency services for the Department of Human Services says people who have been forced from their homes are eligible for a grant of $1067 through their local council.

"So far we've got listed 27 [families who] have left their homes due to the fact that they are inundated and we believe that may increase today," he said.

"Others are finding a small hole in a roof has allowed water in that in the first 24 hours has been absorbed in the ceiling and as the weekend has progressed that those ceilings have deteriorated and started to fall through."

He said more and more people were returning home from the long weekend to find their homes have been damaged.

He said they had a number of calls last night from residents in the Knox area, and he expects the number of people seeking help will continue to rise during the day.

The Victorian Government is urging insurance companies to take a more sympathetic approach when assessing the needs of storm victims.

Many people are concerned their insurance companies are taking a hard line with their claims.

The Premier, John Brumby says insurance companies must act appropriately.

"They need to be out there. They need to be helping families and as always with these things giving families the benefit of the doubt," he said.

"So my advice would be, they need to get out there and lift their game."

Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor Geoff Dobson says the storms were the worst in living memory.

Councillor Dobson says he witnessed a trail of destruction along walking tracks and the Goulburn River.

He says it is lucky no one was killed or injured in the wild weather.

"There doesn't seem to be one tree in the river area that hasn't been affected," he said.

"How lucky are we that no one has been injured or killed in the storm it was the severe as we've ever seen in living history in Shepparton."

- ABC

© ABC 2010

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