*Intense Hailstorm closes Australian schools, businesses*

February 28, 2007 08:56am
Article from: AAP

AUSTRALIA - SCHOOLS, universities and government departments are closed
today after a severe electrical and hail storm battered northern
Canberra overnight.

The Australian National University was shut, as was the exclusive
private school Canberra Grammar, Campbell High, sections of the
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and the National Health
and Medical Research Council.

Crews are working to cut through hail drifts up to 1 meter deep on roads
heading into the city's central business district.

Civic suffered extensive damage as hail blocked gutters causing them to
overflow into shops and offices.

Critical communication infrastructure, including Telstra's civic
exchange, was also damaged overnight but the extent of damage is still
unclear.

In a city unused to peak-hour traffic, the morning commute for thousands
of people travelling from Canberra's northern suburbs including
Belconnen and Gungahlin was strangled.

ACT State Emergency Service (SES) chief officer Tony Graham said the SES
had received about 100 calls for help, with 40 officers working through
the night.

"The majority of jobs have been for flooding and hail damage with a
number of residential properties sustaining collapsed ceilings," he said.

Mr Graham said the storm struck late last night causing widespread
damage from Civic through to Belconnen in Canberra's north.