Storm Damage Emergency Repairs

Most of our callouts during the year are for storm or water damage to houses and cars. Our members are trained in chainsaw operations, especially crosscutting and limbing. Working in a storm and on slippery roofs is very dangerous and we treat every call seriously.

Roof safety line systems are used when working on a roof with extra rigging required on multi-storey buildings. Skills such as building identification, temporary repairs to windows and roofs, tarping techniques and methods of removing branches from damaged structures are core skills of SES volunteers.

Trees are very difficult objects to control after they have fallen in high winds. The tensions and forces involved can be unpredictable and throw a person off a roof in a second. Combined with wind and rain, storm damage can be very tiring and dangerous.

Flash flooding and sandbagging of doorways or drains is the extent of flooding operations in the Eltham area. We have been asked to assist other Units as part of a task force maintaining levee banks in areas such as Frankston and Lilydale where severe flooding occurs often.

All our repairs are considered temporary (to get home owners out of trouble until the storm is over) and we advise all home owners to obtain specialist advice from roofing contractors and other such tradesperson's the next day to affect permanent repairs.

Typical SES Tasks

• Emergency repairs to damaged roofs following heavy rain or wind, fallen trees or flying debris
• Emergency storm damage clearance of fallen trees damaging cars, houses, buildings etc..
• Support to the Council and Vicroads with removal of dangerous trees fallen over roads
• Mitigation of flood water threatening or entering properties
• Supervision of the construction of sandbag leeve banks to halt flood waters
• Rescue of people stranded in flood waters
• Assist farmers with the rescue of livestock or feeding of stranded livestock
• Providing clean up advice to residences and workplaces damaged by flooding or fallen trees
• Immeadiate support to people affected by burst water mains flooding their property