Shepparton resident works on flooded house to stop any more damage

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Reminder: Shane McDonald out the front of his house in Longstaff St, Shepparton. How high the water came up is marked on the boards of his house. Photo by Megan Fisher

When Shepparton resident Shane McDonald discovered his house had flood water through it, he got to work quickly to cut the bottom section of plaster off his walls.

He has cut off a section just under 600mm to stop the water seeping up the walls further and creating mould, which would mean he would have to replace entire walls.

Taking action: Shane McDonald moved quickly to cut the bottom of the plaster walls on his Longstaff St house to allow him to save most of the wall. Photo by Megan Fisher

Mr McDonald lives on Longstaff St, just near the Kirsten St intersection, and he said he had about 18cm of water through his house.

He evacuated from the house at Saturday lunchtime as the waters rose, and went to stay with a friend.

By the time he first came back at noon on Tuesday, the water had receded to the bottom of the top of his two steps.

Recovery: Shane McDonald ripped up his carpet as soon as he could and cut the bottom of the plaster on his walls to help them dry. Photo by Megan Fisher

By lunchtime Wednesday, you could see part of his lawn.

On Wednesday he had ripped up the carpet and had his air-conditioning fan and another fan on to try to circulate air through the house to dry things a bit.

“Inside wasn’t too bad,” he said.

Above floor level: The dirty mark on the side of Shane McDonald’s Longstaff St, Shepparton, house shows where the flood water rose to. Photo by Megan Fisher

“It was better than expected.”

With work now to be done to the floor and bottom of the walls, other work on the house will have to be put on the back burner.

“I was going to paint the house and do the roof this summer. That’s on hold now,” he said.