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Freak storm causes damage across Benalla

Damage: The Uniting Church had its roof ripped off during the storm on Saturday, January 14. Photo by Simon Ruppert

Roofs were torn off houses and trees were torn from the ground in a freak storm that hit Benalla on Saturday, January 14.

Benalla SES initially responded to 77 requests for assistance across the city on Saturday night and Sunday morning following a freak storm hitting Benalla about 10pm.

The Uniting Church in Benalla had its roof torn off by the wind, while trees were down in gardens and residential streets across the city.

Devastation: A unit on the corner of Nunn and Benalla Sts was crushed by a falling tree. Photo by Simon Ruppert
Awful: The damage to the unit on the corner of Benalla and Nunn Sts was clear to see once work began to remove the giant tree that fell during the storm. Photo by Simon Ruppert

Benalla recorded 38mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on Sunday, most of which fell during the storm.

At its peak, 20mm fell during only 20 minutes.

As Sunday morning turned to afternoon, VICSES crews had responded to 109 RFAs.

Of those, 85 were for downed trees blocking roads and access routes and 19 for property damage from downed trees and their limbs, as well as high winds, causing damage to a number of properties; most notably John Cooper Hall on Carrier St.

All of those RFAs have now been cleared.

Warning: The skies above Benalla not long before the town sustained damage from a freak storm. Photo: Rene Martens. Photo by Rene Martens
No go: The Fawckner St car park was closed on the morning of Sunday, January 15. Photo by Simon Ruppert
Impact: A large tree fell, but avoided houses, on the corner of Arundel St North and Goodwin St. Photo by Simon Ruppert

VICSES volunteers, with other agency crews and Victoria Police, worked until early evening on Sunday to manage the scene where live power lines had been broken, mainly by downed trees, as utilities providers worked to restore power to homes.

VICSES units from across the Hume region responded, including crews from Benalla, Chiltern, Mansfield, Port Phillip, Seymour, Wangaratta and Yarrawonga.

They worked alongside Shepparton Search and Rescue, Victoria Police and local CFA brigades from the Benalla group.

Many in the Rose City were without power following the storm. While some had power restored in the early hours of Sunday others were without power for more than 24 hours.

The blackout affected local supermarkets, including Woolworths, which pulled all refrigerated stock from shelves.

Those shelves, however, have now been replenished, as has been the case at other local supermarkets.

Benalla Rural City Council has announced that disposal of storm-related green waste and hard rubbish will be accepted free of charge at the Benalla Landfill and Resource Recovery Centre from now until 3.45pm on Sunday, January 22. The landfill is open daily from noon to 3.45pm.

Empty: Refrigerated shelves in Benalla's Woolworths supermarket were empty after stock was ruined during the power outage that followed Saturday's storm. Shelves have since been restocked. Photo by Simon Ruppert
Trees down: The Denny St car park was littered with branches following Saturday evening's storm. Photo by Issie Hill
Foreshore damage: Trees down on the Lake Benalla foreshore. Photo by Simon Ruppert
Here it is: Part of the roof of the Uniting Church hall sits in car parking spaces on Carrier St. Photo by Simon Ruppert
Storm strikes: The Uniting Church Hall on Carrier St was damaged extensively. Photo by Simon Ruppert
Street scene: Trees down on Carrier St. Photo by Simon Ruppert
Fence struck: A tree fell through the fence of a property on Benalla St. Photo by Simon Ruppert
Blackout: Trees took down power lines across Benalla with much of the town experiencing a blackout overnight on Saturday, January 14. Photo by Simon Ruppert
Big damage: The Moira Reserve lost several large trees. Photo by Simon Ruppert
Trail of destruction: The Aboriginal Garden has several trees down. Photo by Simon Ruppert
Uprooted: A tree down on the Moira Reserve. Photo by Simon Ruppert
Power lines hit: Part of a tree hangs on power lines on Ackerley Ave. Photo by Simon Ruppert
Torn: Large trees on the banks of the Broken River on Ackerly St were damaged. Photo by Simon Ruppert
Inspection: Power lines hang down as residents inspect damage on Goodwin St. Photo by Simon Ruppert
Clean-up begins: Crews get to work clearing trees from Nunn St. Photo by Simon Ruppert