By Matthew Sims
Maribyrnong council’s building and environmental health teams are undertaking property assessments across all flood-impacted properties.
Accompanied by the Australian Red Cross and Victorian Council of Churches, the teams are aiming to better understand the impacts on individual properties and what is needed to make them habitable again.
Residents are reminded to ask for identification when people request to enter your property.
More than 200 homes are known to have suffered water damage when the Maribyrnong River broke its banks.
Tonnes of silt and mud have now also been cleared from streets inundated by floodwaters after the River peaked at 4.18 metres, but there are still some streets where there is more work to do.
Maribyrnong council is engaging with consultants to undertake precautionary soil and water testing along seven kilometres of the riverbank, with about 150 samples set to be taken in public spaces such as parks and sports fields.
However, at this point, there are no known contamination issues.
Maribyrnong mayor Anthony Tran said despite receiving support across the recovery effort since Friday, October 14, there was still a “monumental” clean-up effort ahead.
“We are acutely aware our residents are relying on us for support and we are throwing every available resource available into the field to complete the clean-up as quickly and efficiently as possible,” he said.
“It requires not just manpower but also machinery and equipment beyond our normal arsenal and we are very grateful to our neighbours who have so generously provided support with this.
“Residents can be assured, we will not stop until it is done.”
Work is now beginning in clearing pits and pipes, which involves first vacuuming out loose debris before using high pressure jets to clear away any residue.
Hard waste collection is also underway, with trucks travelling through the flood ravaged streets collecting a significant volume of materials for sorting and appropriate disposal.
Neighbouring councils, including Wyndham, Brimbank, Darebin and Port Philip, are supplying equipment to support street cleaning and hard waste collection.
The relief centre at the Maribyrnong Community Centre also remains open between 9am and 5pm to provide ongoing assistance to residents, including help making applications for government support payments.
Details: floodrecovery@maribyrnong.vic.gov.au
