FRANTIC FLOOD RESCUE
Pair winched to safety after truck caught in rising waters
TWO people were winched to safety after attempting to cross the swollen Moorabool River on Friday as the full impact of a two-day rain event hit Geelong.
Onlookers in Lethbridge and Maude were shocked to see a truck caught deep in the waterway, beyond multiple signs warning the road was closed, around 1pm.
“A 64-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman, both from Lethbridge were winched from their truck by the Victoria Police helicopter,”
Senior Constable Alistair Parsons said.
“Neither occupant sustained any injuries as a result of the incident.”
A Victorian State Emergency Service spokeswoman confirmed the road was closed at the time.
“SES volunteers were asked to attend a truck caught in floodwaters but due to the speed of the water there were unable to get in there, which meant the police airwing was called in to assist,” she said.
“The road was closed, and we would urge people not to tempt fate.
“Please do not attempt to drive through floodwaters.”
It was the second rescue at the Perdrisat Rd crossing for the day, with emergency services helping two people from the water around 9am.
The Barwon River burst its banks late morning with the waterway still hours from its peak, while a watch and act alert was issued warning people to avoid floodwaters.
By 4pm, the river was at 2.61m, above what is considered the “minor” flood level, which was enough to breach into parklands and pathways at Belmont Common and at South Geelong.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned the river was set to peak at a “moderate” 3.1m on Friday evening, putting low-lying areas at risk.
The Barwon River at Ricketts Marsh, west of Geelong, reached 6.31m early on Friday to exceed the moderate flood level. A swollen Leigh River at Shelford had locals under a watch and act alert on Friday morning, before it peaked at 7.82m around 8am, just below the major flood level.
Run-off also caused dramas for residents of Pintail Drive, Torquay, bordering water storage for a nearby flower farm.
One resident said the water threatened about 20 homes in the street late on Thursday and resulted in the SES spending about six hours on site in a bid to protect the homes from flooding.
It comes almost two years to the day since 100 homes were evacuated due to fears a 180-megalitre dam on the flower farm property could collapse.
There should be some relief from the rain on Saturday, with Geelong expecting partly cloudy conditions with a top temperature of 17C, before a cloudy day on Sunday with the potential for more showers.