When I first headed out to Richmond just before 8pm, there was mayhem everywhere.
Streams had suddenly flooded and then receded just as quickly, leaving a trail of rocks and debris strewn across the road. Vegetation was woven through fences near flattened by the force of the water.
People had stopped their cars and were out walking the street, assessing the damage, unsure how far they could proceed.
Others were still working to keep the flooding off their properties. It seemed emergency services hadn't made it to many of the problem spots yet. Instead, members of the public or roading contractors were directing traffic.
Floodwaters were too deep for my vehicle to get down Saxton Rd to Main Rd Stoke so I instead went through Saxton Field. I narrowly made it through some floodwaters in there only to find it impossible to turn onto Main Rd Stoke near the freezing works entrance. That road had turned into a river with at least two cars that I could see abandoned in the middle.
It was obvious I wasn't going to get anywhere so I returned home to get our 4WD and give it another crack. This time I went along Nayland Rd to get onto the bypass but it too was now closed. Traffic was bumper to bumper along Saxton Rd and not prepared to wait; many were turning back in the direction they came. I got back through Saxton Field. Floodwaters had started to recede a bit and I was able to get on to Main Rd Stoke, still travelling through surface flooding.
Once at Pak 'n Save I joined a team of helpers - not even sure where half of them had come from but they were doing a tremendous job, pushing water out the door with brooms and mopping up with whatever they could find. Water had been ankle deep halfway through the shop but the worst of it had been dealt with by the time I got there just before 9pm. Adding to the mess were all the bark chips that had flooded in from outside gardens, getting into every nook and cranny. Bags of rice and kitty litter had done little to keep the floodwaters out.
Inside the mall appeared worse, particularly around the newly refurbished food court area which resembled a small lake. I suspect they were bailing water from there most of the night.
By 10pm there was little more I could do to help in the supermarket so I started the journey home, heading first down Queen St. Every second shop was being mopped out. The florist appeared to have an entire shop out on the footpath while they cleaned up. Others were obviously leaving the mess to deal with in daylight.
It was amazing how different the drive home was. Road blocks were all gone. Most of the surface flooding had disappeared and even the abandoned cars had been removed. There was very little sign of road workers or emergency services. Hard to believe the difference an hour or two can make.
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