Teen killed by falling tree as fierce storms sweep Australia
Pastor Dale Morgan
Teen killed by falling tree as fierce storms sweep Australia*
November 04, 2007 08:32am
Article from: AAP
A TEENAGER has been killed after a tree fell on his tent during wild
storms in Victoria's southwest overnight.
The 19-year-old was camping at the Sheoaks Caravan Ground at Lorne,
along the Great Ocean Road, when the tree came down on his tent, shortly
after 5am (AEDT) today.
Police, Rural Ambulance crews and State Emergency Services rescuers
battled to save the teenager, who was taken to Lorne Hospital, but he
died from his injuries, police spokeswoman Carla Coslovich said.
Police said the nearby Cumberland River Caravan Park had also been
evacuated following heavy rainfall.
The night of wild storms lashed most parts of the state, dumping around
80mm of rain and causing flash flooding in some areas, the State
Emergency Service (SES) said.
SES spokesman Jeff Cartwright said the volunteer service had been busy
throughout the night responding to more than 180 emergency calls in
south-west, mid-west and central Victoria.
"The heaviest rainfall has been around the Otways, which have led to the
events at Lorne," Mr Cartwright said.
"Most of the calls outside the Lorne area have been for property damage,
trees down and reports of flash flooding, blocked up drains backing onto
properties and gutters overflowing into houses and causing some damage.
"Most of them have been pretty small jobs that have been easy to deal
with, however as people begin to wake up this morning around the state,
we are expecting another peak in calls."
Emergency services were monitoring overnight rainfalls across Gippsland,
in the state's southeast, and were also on alert for additional calls
for help, Mr Cartwright said.
"There is the potential for rising floodwaters with around 70mm of rain
falling around catchment areas," he said.
"Our key message to people travelling or camping, especially if they are
in the Otways region, is to avoid low-lying creek beds and stick to
suitable, established camp sites.
"Also consider roads access in remote or rural areas. Before setting out
in off-road areas, drivers should make sure they can back out again if
they run into any problems."
The SES also warned against walking or cycling through floodwaters and
said people needed to exercise extreme caution near downed power lines.