KEY POINTS
- A 63-year-old woman on the NSW-Victoria border has been killed by a falling tree amid severe weather.
- A man, also aged 63, was treated by paramedics at the scene and taken to hospital.
- Severe weather has battered the country’s southeast, hitting Victoria and Tasmania over the weekend.
Wild weather smashing three states has claimed a woman’s life and caused rivers to break their banks, hundreds of properties to be damaged and tens of thousands of residents to make do without power.
The extreme weather, which started over the weekend, left a 63-year-old woman dead after a tree struck a cabin at a holiday park in Moama, on the NSW-Victorian border.
More than 120,000 Victorians are without power and 660 homes have been damaged, following a night of pulsing winds and abnormally high tides, with some schools and kindergartens forced to close.
Tasmanian emergency services conducting operations on Sunday. Severe weather caused significant damage to trees, properties, power lines and infrastructure in the state. Source: AAP / Tasmania State Emergency Service
Victoria’s State Emergency Service received 2,800 calls for help between 7pm Sunday and 10am Monday, 1,350 of them related to fallen trees. Warragul, Moe and Emerald are the worst affected areas.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan thanked emergency crews for supporting their community in tough conditions.
“They’ve worked overnight and are continuing to work through the day — thank you for their incredibly selfless work during this difficult time,” she told reporters on Monday.
The state’s emergency services have warned against unnecessary travel after winds brought down trees and powerlines across the state, reaching 146km/h at Wilsons Promontory National Park.
Gusts above 100km/h were also recorded in suburban Melbourne, including 113km/h at St Kilda.
Numerous schools are without power and some have closed, including St Helena Secondary College in Eltham and Yarra Ranges Special Developmental School, with students directed to undertake remote learning for the day.
Significant delays are also expected across Victoria’s public transport system with debris affecting numerous train and tram lines.
A severe weather warning is still in place in parts of Victoria as residents are urged to prepare for another storm front expected to hit on Monday night.
Tasmania was also battered by severe weather on Sunday with significant damage to trees, properties, power lines and infrastructure.
Emergency services responded to 330 incidents over 24 hours in Tasmania, as flooding continues to threaten the south-east region. Source: AAP / SUPPLIED/AAP IMAGE
Peak wind gusts overnight reached 157km/h at King Island Airport and 130km/h at Launceston Airport.
The River Derwent, below Meadowbank Dam, is likely to exceed the major flood level of 7.3m on Monday, while emergency services are warning those in White Hills, near Launceston, to remain vigilant over the next 12 hours.
TasNetworks said there were about 10,000 customers without power, with emergency services expected to provide an update on Monday afternoon.
Senior meteorologist Christie Johnson said wild weather had already hit NSW but the strongest winds were still to come.
“The strongest winds for NSW are expected this morning with the potential for damaging wind stretching up from the Victorian border up to the Hunter district,” Johnson said on Monday.
NSW police will prepare a report for the coroner following the woman’s death after a tree landed on a cabin she was staying in at holiday park Merool on the Murray.
A man, also aged 63, was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
