By Matthew Sims
More than three months on from the February 13 storm event which tore through most of Cardinia and Casey, Emergency Recovery Victoria (ERV) has left the job of cleaning up the shire half finished, with Cardinia Council now pledging its commitment to complete the clean-up efforts.
The Hills were rocked by wild weather after damaging winds lashed the area on Tuesday 13 February, damaging infrastructure and leaving vegetation and other debris strewn across roads.
After the last major storm event in June 2021, the State Government provided Cardinia Council funding to carry out the full recovery program and debris clean-up.
At its height, ERV had four teams operating across Cardinia managing on average 120 truckloads of debris collection, transport and disposal per day.
However, following this event, the State Government requested for ERV to take the lead, with the council providing them with a list of locations and streets which required urgent clean-up works.
Cardinia Council mayor Jack Kowarzik said 50 per cent of the kerbside storm debris removal program was complete, with council committed to supporting residents until the clean-up is complete.
“While council is disappointed that ERV’s on-the-ground support of this clean-up program will not continue, council remains committed to supporting our community until all storm debris has been removed,“ he said.
“Due to the large volume of debris that needs to be collected, we understand that the clean-up may be taking longer than expected.
“I want to reassure the community that our teams are working hard to complete the clean-up program as soon as possible, and we sincerely thank our storm-affected communities for their understanding and patience as we work through the list of locations.“
Cr Kowarzik said works were being scheduled based on the level of need, with the most urgent works being carried out first.
Emerald Village Association Hills Power and Communications Resilience Working Group facilitator Claude Cullino said the group were keen for works to ramp up so that all works could be completed before the end of the financial year to avoid any fees being placed on the clean-up efforts.
“The EVA is advocating through council and our local MP Daniela De Martino for the work to be completed as soon as possible,“ he said.
“We would hope that both council and the State Government will find the necessary resources to complete the works before 30 June this year.“
Mr Cullino said the council was seeking extra funding to support the remaining work.
“Council has advised that about 10 crews should have been allocated for the clean-up after this latest storm event,“ he said.
“However, the program was under-resourced and council has been having high-level discussions to take the lead on the program.
“Council staff indicated that it may take another three months unless some significant and serious funding is provided for the program.“
Mr Cullino said the event was another reminder of the importance of creating a back-up plan for the town in the form of ’energy hubs’ or micro-grids, with council officers providing estimated costs for creating energy hubs.
“This is very useful as it will enable community members to advocate more effectively and with better understanding of the financial pressures that ’plan B’ will cost,“ he said.
“A town centre such as Emerald would probably require up to 10 micro-grids, which will cost $10 million to $15 million.
“These costs need to be balanced against the cost of undergrounding cables and there needs to be robust consultation with the community to ensure that the best outcome for the community can be achieved.“
An ERV spokesperson said support was still available for affected residents.
“Help is currently available to affected private property owners through the removal of hazardous trees near people’s homes and demolition of storm damaged homes,” the spokesperson said.
“Eligible residents can also access the Recovery Support Program.
“ERV has supported local councils to collect debris created by the February 2024 Victorian storms. This includes Cardinia Shire, where ERV and lead contractor Hansen Yuncken have delivered significant support.”
Residents in eligible locations who have been unable to dispose of their storm waste could still leave it on their nature strip for collection by Cardinia Council crews.
For more information, visit www.cardinia.vic.gov.au/stormrecovery
