CONSISTENT rainfall last week led to moderate flooding in Seymour, while road chaos was delivered thanks to the rain and heavy winds which brought down a number of trees across the Mitchell Shire and surrounding areas.
Sadly, a driver lost their life at Tooborac on Friday morning, with emergency services called to reports that two cars and a truck crashed into a fallen tree on the Northern Highway at about 6am.
The 66-year-old driver of one of the cars died at the scene, while the driver of the other car sustained serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, and transported to hospital. The truck driver was not injured.
The investigation into the circumstances leading to the multi-vehicle crash was ongoing.
A multi-vehicle crash was also recorded on Kilmore-Broadford Road on Thursday morning at 6.30am, with the Kilmore Fire Brigade, Broadford Fire Brigade, Kilmore SES, Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria all responding.
“With the recent rain, our roads are extremely slippery and conditions can change quickly. Please slow down, allow extra travel time, increase your following distance, and drive to the conditions. No destination is worth risking your safety,” the Kilmore Fire Brigade wrote.
“Incidents like this are a timely reminder that a little extra care behind the wheel can make all the difference.”
Another accident was recorded on Saturday morning on the Northern Highway between Kilmore and Wallan, with a serious two-vehicle crash.
The Kilmore Fire Brigade again had to address the community on social media.
“Unfortunately, we’re seeing more and more incidents like this on our roads, and it’s something we never want to become the norm,” they wrote.
“Every decision you make on the road matters. A few extra minutes to arrive safely is always worth it. Slow down, leave plenty of space, and stay focused.”
While nowhere near as bad as 2022’s devastating floods, the Goulburn River in Seymour peaked at 5.33 metres at 6.15 am on Friday, with moderate flooding in the town, but had eased by the afternoon.
A message from the State Emergency Service (SES) said a number of local roads were likely to be closed, including Tallarook-Pyalong Road in Tallarook between Sharps Road; Taylors Road and Gerard Road; Delatite Road in Seymour; White Gate Road in Seymour, south of Seymour-Pyalong Road; the Hume Freeway end of Ennis Road in Tallarook and Ashes Bridge Road in Tallarook.
The SES also put out a message on Thursday regarding elevated river levels along Sunday Creek.
By Friday, heavy rain had eased, but not before some large sums of rain had been dumped on towns in short bursts.
In Seymour, 7.2mm of rain fell in a one-hour burst last Tuesday between 11.30am and 12.30pm, before a further 8.8mm burst on Wednesday night from 9 to 10pm, and a 6.8mm burst fell between 5 and 6pm on Thursday.
The Seymour SES reported on social media that they had a busy night on Wednesday night, reporting to multiple reports of trees going down as heavy winds also lashed the area.
“Our volunteers have had a busy night responding to multiple reports of trees down across roads throughout our response area, working alongside Victoria Police and Mitchell Shire Council to help keep the community safe,” they wrote on social media.
“Never drive through floodwater. It only takes a small amount of fast-moving water to sweep a vehicle away, and you can’t always see what’s beneath the surface.
“If you’re aware of any roads in our area that are currently underwater, please let us know so we can pass the information on to the relevant authorities.
“Thank you for your patience and support, and please stay safe if you’re out on the roads.”
The Kilmore SES unit reported that they had been to 38 incidents across last Tuesday and Wednesday.
“A huge thank you to all of our volunteers who continue to give up their time to keep our community safe. Please remember to stay safe, look out for one another, and if you don’t need to travel, consider delaying your trip until conditions improve,” they wrote.
In Lancefield, a 62-year-old man needed to be winched from his car after trying to cross a flooded creek and getting trapped following 87 mm of rain in the region last Tuesday night.
Seven News reported that emergency services responded around 7pm, with the man airlifted to hospital in a stable condition.