Winds wreak havoc

By TANIA MARTIN
GALE force winds and falling trees and branches wreaked havoc on the weekend as Emerald State Emergency Services battled to help people in crisis on Sunday.
Emerald SES received its biggest number of calls for help since the storms that ravaged the area in February.
SES volunteer Leigh Johnson said the Emerald unit received 71 calls, with the first coming through at 7.30am on Sunday morning.
Mr Johnson said by 10am the local headquarters had been established as an Emergency Operations Centre but that before long the Springvale SES unit came up to Emerald to help out.
“Two teams of five members were formed to tackle the barrage of storm jobs that started coming through,” Mr Johnson said.
Kallista was one of the hardesthit areas with a mountain ash tree falling and badly damaging a house in Monbulk Road.
Emerald SES volunteer Jim Waring, who attended the house in Kallista, said a falling tree fell across the roof.
Mr Waring said it took SES volunteers more than three hours to secure the premises.
He said volunteers removed foliage and parts of the tree from the house before placing a tarpaulin over the roof of the house to prevent rain damage.
Mr Johnson said of the 71 calls for help the vast majority came from people living in Olinda, Monbulk, Belgrave, Belgrave South, Upwey, and Tecoma.
He said more than 40 of the calls were about trees falling onto the road, which also kept the Shire of Yarra Ranges road crews exceptionally busy.
Mr Johnson said that at least five driveways were blocked by falling trees including one that landed on a number of cars.
He said other calls were for car ports and sheds that had been damaged.
Mr Johnson said SES volunteers were to be commended for their tireless work for helping people in crisis with teams working from 10am to 10pm Sunday.