A Bolitho Rd power pole had been completely tilted by a bad bout of wind. Powercor technicians worked to recover the pole Tuesday morning and afternoon.
Photo by
Jemma Jones
While a reprieve from a particularly dry winter is nice, residents in Kyabram would probably say different following Monday night’s wild weather.
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On June 23, Kyabram was battered by a ferocious storm that damaged trees and dangerously tilted power poles along Bolitho Rd.
The storm left 181 homes without electricity throughout the day, disrupting daily routines.
Powercor reported the result of the outage was wind damage, and that power would be recovered by 4pm Tuesday.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Kyabram weather station recorded high-speed gusts of 48km/h wind picking up at about 9.09pm Monday.
Powerlines tilted and trees toppled, all in a night on Bolitho Rd during the storm. Photo: Maddy Scalisi
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Contributed
The strong winds would persist through to about midnight, with the highest speed recorded at 54km/h at 9.26pm.
To accompany the wild winds, Kyabram experienced a dump of rain, with the weather station recording 13.8mm overnight Monday.
Residents of Bolitho Rd spoke to the Free Press, and said it seemed like a tornado had spun through the area, with how trees were bent.
Maddy Scalisi, who took a photo of a bent power pole, said it was “very inconvenient” to not have running water due to the outage, and her husband had to move his work to the Kyabram library.
It was an entirely different story for Kyabram SES controllers Gail and Paul Octigan, who were able to sleep through the night without any call-outs for help.
“It was a pretty peaceful night where we were... but we heard about some damage,” Mr Octigan said.
Powercor reported a wind surge was the reason for a fallen powerline, leaving 181 customers without power until at least 4pm on Tuesday, June 24.
Photo by
Kyabram Free Press
Mr Octigan advised if Kyabram residents know a storm is coming through to make sure to tie down any outside items that could easily fly away in strong winds such as this.
Trampolines, loose garden furniture and equipment all have the potential to damage homes with a strong enough gust of wind.
He also warned of flash-flooding in many areas around Kyabram, and said using sandbags was key to preventing it.
Across the region, wild weather was similar, with Tatura weather station recording its highest gust of wind at 63km/h at 11.05pm and Shepparton Airport recording its highest gust of 57km/h at 12.15am.
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