Community support storm update

Community support storm update

Published on 15 February 2024

Tuesday afternoon’s storm event has taken an enormous toll on residents and towns in the Baw Baw Shire and Council will continue to work with those who have been impacted.

Those who have experienced building damage to their private property are urged to inform Council and we will assess the impact and connect you with relevant services that will be able to assist.

The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) Personal Hardship Assistance Program (PHAP) relief payments are available to Victorians for the 13 February fires and storms and Council can help you to determine your eligibility for these. These payments are not available for people who are experiencing power outage alone.  Contact Customer Service today for further information and assistance.

Showers, device charging and WIFI

The Warragul Leisure Centre is open for those who have been affected by the storm.

Here people can use showers (please bring your own toiletries and towels), charge their devices, and access WIFI. For those who need it, the Leisure Centre will be accessible during its usual hours of operation, which are:

Monday – Thursday: 6.00am – 8.30pm. Friday: 6.00am – 7.00pm. Saturday – Sunday: 8.00am – 7.00pm.

The Drouin and Warragul Myli Library locations also have their doors open for people to come in and access the free WIFI, or to charge their devices. The library opening hours are below:

Drouin Library

Monday to Friday: 9.30am - 5.30pm Saturday: 9.30am - 12.00pm

Warragul Library

Monday: 9.30am - 6.00pm Tuesday and Wednesday: 9.30am - 7.00pm Thursday and Friday: 9.30am - 6.00pm Saturday: 9.00am - 1.00pm Thorpdale impacts and support

Gippsland Water has urged Thorpdale residents to put off any non-essential water use. This is due to a power outage which is impacting capabilities at Thorpdale pump station.  (Click here to read Gippsland Water's media release.)

Four portable showers are currently being organised for Thorpdale and will be located at the Thorpdale Recreation Reserve. They will be accessible from lunchtime on Friday. Those who use these are reminded to pack their own toiletries and towels.

Portable showers are also being considered for other locations and more information will be available soon.

Power outages

We are aware of the huge imposition that the loss of power is causing our residents and encourage people to view the Ausnet power tracker for the latest updates. Although the interactive map is not currently available, they are providing a list of suburbs and estimated time of assessment or power restoration. Please visit www.outagetracker.com.au.

Council service impacts and demand

On Wednesday evening Council’s phone lines were restored and residents can once again reach customer service again by phoning 5624 2411. Customer Service has also activated its ‘Storm Report Sam’, a chat bot designed to allow residents to speedily notify Council of damage to community assets. You can also report storm-related damage via the Snap Send Solve app on your phone. Due to the volume of requests, residents are encouraged to use online reporting methods if they can.

As of 11.00am on Thursday 15 February Council had received more than 100 phone calls related to the storm and is managing more than 170 requests for assistance, in addition to other business-as-usual requests.

We are prioritising these requests based on urgency and impact and will work through them as quickly as possible. 

Roads

Council officers and contractors are actively working to clear any blocked road across the Shire, however unfortunately, progress is being hindered by the presence of downed power lines. When Council comes across these hazards, the protocol is to report these to Ausnet and close the affected roads for safety reasons.

A list of blocked roads that Council is currently aware of includes: 

Mahoneys Road, Yarragon  Cemetery Road, Yarragon  Yarragon Leongatha Road, Yarragon South  Wagner Road, Neerim South  Darnum Park Road, Darnum  Rokeby Jindivick Road, Rokeby 

Due to limited network availability, Council crews are unable to utilise their usual programs and systems for logging jobs. As a result, the process of collating data is slower than usual. 

Council-run facilities and pools

We are also aware that some Council run facilities have experienced damage due to the severe wind and rain, including the Drouin Recreation Reserve, including its social club rooms, and the Trafalgar Recreation Reserve. Council will work with the local clubs to assess the damage and get remedial works underway.  

Council’s outdoor pools in Thorpdale and Trafalgar will also be closed due to power outages and we will notify the community when they reopen.

Council will continue to provide updates to the community as the situation across the Shire changes.