Casey stormed over

By Kelly Yates and
NARRE Warren SES workers were called out to more than 170 jobs over the weekend as strong winds lashed across the City of Casey.
Eighty per cent of the emergency calls received from late Saturday evening and most of Sunday were in relation to traffic hazards caused by trees blown down, says Narre Warren SES unit controller Tim Howell.
Mr Howell said all of Casey, from Endeavour Hills to Blind Bight, was hit by the wild weather, with Pearcedale suffering the most damage.
“We had big tress that fell over main roads and arterials,” he said.
“A section of the South Gippsland Highway near Cranbourne and Five Ways was blocked for three hours because of two large trees covering the road.”
Cranbourne North resident Debbie Sutcliffe had a trying weekend, without power for 26 hours.
While there was no damage around her home, Ms Sutcliffe lost power about 2am on Saturday and she said it often happened at her home.
She kept her daughter entertained with a portable DVD player.
“It was frustrating for us,” she said.
To make matters worse, Ms Sutcliffe said she got a rude response from her electricity provider when she called to inquire about restoring power.
SES crews from Waverley, the local CFA units and Casey Council were called to help the Narre Warren SES unit with the clean up efforts. Mr Howell said the local unit had a busy weekend, and expected to continue the clean up over the next couple of days.
“We’d like to thank the Casey community for taking notice of the weather warning on television,” he said.
“And we’d also like to thank the Casey Council and the CFA for their support.”
For information on how to minimise potential damage to property during storms and floods, sit www.ses.vic.gov.au For assistance with storm damage and flooding call the SES on 132 500 and for all other emergencies, call triple zero.