Emergency crews in clean up

STRONG winds caused havoc across the hills last week with trees falling on powerlines, across roads and even disrupting train lines.
SES volunteer Robert Tillman said the Emerald unit had more than 48 calls for help after strong winds reaching up to 98 km/h ripped through the hills on Tuesday.
He said a number of trees fell across roads, on powerlines and on houses.
Mr Tillman said one of the unit’s biggest jobs was in Upwey where a tree fell across powerlines at Upwey train station shortly after 2pm.
Connex spokeswoman Kate de Clerq said the train line had to be closed down until 8pm so that the tree could be removed before the power was restored.
She said commuters where offered the use of a bus service from Belgrave to Upper Ferntree Gully stations to compensate for the line closure.
Mr Tillman said the Emerald unit spent several hours helping the railway maintenance workers clear the tree away.
He said crews also spent several hours on Wednesday clearing away debris from the wild weather.