EMERALD and Knox State Emergency Service units were inundated with calls on Sunday as the hills were buffeted by winds approaching 100km/h.
Emerald volunteer Andrew Buck reported that his crew worked an exhausting 14-hour shift in response to approximately 70 call-outs.
The majority of calls related to tree limbs falling on power lines and across roads, however, the worst wind damage was sustained by tiled-roof houses in Gembrook and Belgrave.
Suspended from cables in a bid to access damage from fallen tree limbs, Mr Buck’s team worked tirelessly to secure the roofs of these houses and perform preliminary repairs.
Reinforcements from Essendon, Croydon, Nunawading and Oakley were required to assist the Knox SES team in its response to approximately 120 calls.
“Most of the jobs involved reasonable size branches falling on fences and houses, however, there was no major structural damage sustained,” reported Knox SES deputy controller Karen Afif.
Wind calls hammer SES
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