While the remainder of the Mitchell Shire fared better than Seymour in last week’s extreme rain, many areas were still impacted by water leaving residents in need of assistance.
The Bureau of Meteorology reported Kilmore Gap recorded 120 millimetres of rain by Monday evening.
Some other areas of the shire recorded rain of up to 180mm across January 7 and 8.
As of January 15 the majority of roads have reopened, however Mitchell Shire has reported the following roads remain closed south of Seymour: Bylands: Arkells Lane – Northern Highway side; Pyalong: Ladderhill Road; and Sugarloaf Creek: Gerard Road.
Kilmore State Emergency Service volunteers responded to 130 requests for assistance, which included preparing 3000 sandbags, two road rescues, one rescue in a flooded home, and more than 100 trees cut by chainsaw.
Kilmore unit controller John Koutras said the event was ‘two days full-on’.
“I want to say thank you to all the volunteers that rocked up during that period, the SES members, the CFA members, and the general public that came out and helped us,” he said.
“Without that community spirit, we can’t get through this. The fact that we’re having these storms more regularly now, people are seeing and acting with that effort and going ‘I’m helping my community’.
“Without volunteers too, whether they’re a member or not, we could not get through this, so thank you very much.”
Mayor Louise Bannister said while the majority of the water had cleared, many residents were still accessing recovery services located outside their local area.
A pop-up recovery hub opened at Kilmore Library yesterday and will operate from 10am to 3pm until the end of tomorrow.
“The aim is to make it easier for impacted residents and businesses to seek help and get the support they need,” Cr Bannister said.
