MAN SURFS ST KILDA INLAND TSUNAMI

TOORAK TIMES EXCLUSIVE PIC


Whilst I was busily fighting off the torrent running down through our apartment building's shared walkway, I felt remiss I wasn't recording the events in Fitzroy Street, my darling busily helping me deal with the initial flooding of my flat, at the lowest point in the building...roller door down and main storm drain blocked, creating a dam.

I hit the roller door button and that relieved part of the initial blow, but people, this water was gushing down our walkway and the back lane well over my ankles (actually about the same depth as the goo in a previous post!).

Right then my neighbour Lisa was running out to see what was happening and I flung her my Nokia N8 and and said fire away.

Great work Lis, come again...

I have seen a few floods, Mentone in the 'late 60's, when dad had a sports shop in partnership with Ian Cooper, St Kilda FC  legend, where I surfed a long board down Balcombe Road, I was in Flinders Street when it flooded in the '80's, a flood on the Snowy River flats in the '90's, when the mighty Snowy River broke the banks at Orbost and Marlo (Did you know? The Snowy delta is the second largest on the planet next to the Nile River delta!), I was standing in the bus depot in Spencer Street about to go bush when the city flooded in the Noughties, and now. in the Eleventies...the St Kilda Inundation!

WATER POURS FROM SURROUNDING SLOPES

Many areas were deluged tonight around Melbourne, the junction of the Monash Freeway and Warrigal Road was a lake, the ships hit the fan in Werribee (sic) , and Fitzroy Street, St Kilda was awash with water.

Half a metre deep at the peak, and what is worse, once the flood had stopped...off it went again...pouring its guts out more than before, down upon the already overpowered drains and havoc ensued!

My mate Jackie at Jack, Jack and Jackie Hairdressers in Jackson Street saw people on blow up mattresses surfing down on the water syphoning from the hill and the streetscape down into  Jackson Steet, along with the laundromat and joined the Fitzroy Street river.

Every shopfront business in St Kilda has been inundated and as I post the rain is still coming down.

The flats where I live also copped a belting, with all ground floor flats washed out. Some already stressed out neighbours that have gone to bed tonight with sodden carpets and damaged personal goods, some with no power, others just breaking down.

I have more pics, but I will post them in the morning.