By Tyler Wright
Businesses in Upwey are facing the loss of tens of thousands of dollars in the aftermath of a damaging flash flooding event on the evening of Tuesday 25 October.
Main Street’s Tin Pan Alley Foodsmith owner Mark Filgate said the “torrent” of water washed through stores back door, causing around $30,000 worth of lost stock, produce and damaged appliances.
“It just got to a point where we just couldn’t stop it,” Mr Filgate said.
Take away orders were refunded and staff and customers were sent home as outdoor table settings were overturned and plants were washed away.
“We stock up on a Tuesday, so we’ve got a whole week’s worth of stock here, [and] we need to work out what will last and what won’t last,” Mr Filgate said.
“We’ll just have to see whether we can package them up and give them away…they’re not contaminated, they’re in the cool room, but the stuff that was ready for service is not usable.”
While this flash flooding incident is the worst Mr Filgate has seen, it is not the only one he has experienced in his time trading in Upwey, with another flooding event hitting his business and others’ in December 2016.
He said there needs to be a levee installed in the council-owned carpark to prevent incidents like these occurring again.
“It’s frustrating because in businesses – what we’ve been through in the last couple of years – and then getting momentum back…
“The best time of year for us is November, December, and now we’re in a position where we have to wait and and see until we get the place clean again, and then [see] whether we get replacement equipment in time as well.”
Shakti Iwer, who owns vegetarian restaurant Nevedya with her husband Daniel, said it is apparent council infrastructure is “inadequate” when hit with a flash flooding event of this magnitude.
“In the four and a half years we’ve been here we’ve had some heavy rains, but we have always been fine with that,” Ms Iver said.
“But it would appear that what they’ve done is inadequate for these storms when they happen, and that there’s an infrastructure issue.”
Nevedya’s outdoor seating and live music area was partly uprooted on Tuesday, losing a fridge, freezer and music speaker equipment worth around $7,000.
Thankfully, business protection insurance has eased the brunt of the financial strain, but the “shock” of the event has still hit Ms Iver, as her restaurant closed until the end of the week through the cleanup.
“One of our staff rallied everybody up to come and help, which is just beautiful…a huge amount of support,” she said.
Tecoma resident Mardi Taylor has also felt the support from her local community, with mostly strangers offering a helping hand after heavy rain filled her drains with mud and gravel and left her downstairs carpet soaked.
“I live with my, my son and my two dogs, and we couldn’t get out because we had the water flowing down from the court behind us and the whole other side of the house was completely underwater, so it was really scary,” Ms Taylor said.
Ms Taylor said her insurer is expected to visit her home on Tuesday 1 November to assess the extent of the damage.
“You just don’t know where to start… you almost hope [the insurance company] will be like ‘these are the steps, this is what we can do, this is what we can’t do.'”
Yarra Ranges Council’s Director of Environment and Infrastructure, Bill Millard, said as of Friday 28 October, the council’s economic development team has had over 250 callouts, inspected seven landslides, had 27 businesses impacted by flood waters and recieved seven calls for relief or support.
Mr Millard said he understands a levee might be one option for businesses on Main Street Upwey within broader drainage improvements, but the area will require a ‘more detailed engineering assessment”.
“Unfortunately, we are experiencing wetter than normal conditions and heavier rainfall than we’ve seen before, which is causing further problems for council assets and private property owners,” Mr Millard said.
“While our drainage systems are designed according to Intensity-Frequency-Duration (IFD) standards, when you get very heavy rainfall like we have had, it can overwhelm our drainage system.
“The recent flooding events have been exacerbated by circumstances on the ground – a saturated landscape that was unable to absorb much more water after an extremely wet October, and dams across Victoria being close to full.”
According to Mr Millard, impact assessments throughout the municipality are underway and are likely to continue for the next month.
“Currently, the nature and size of this flash flood event make it difficult to understand what, if any, impacts on floodwater levels would have been influenced by maintenance works, which are generally undertaken to manage low-flow events and provide drainage relief for minor storm events, but we will be awaiting the outcome of these investigations and reports to inform future drainage maintenance programs and stormwater systems upgrades,” he said.
