HAD enough of the rain yet? We certainly have. But before we grizzle too loudly about the slow going on the roads and the dashes between awnings to duck out for lunch, we’re thinking about the angels in orange, the SES volunteers, who spent much of yesterday and last night out in the open.
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The conditions over the past 36 hours have been atrocious but the SES hasn’t flinched, out dealing with downed trees, flooded homes and leaking roofs, as it does in every extreme weather event.
Of course, they weren’t the only ones out performing difficult tasks in the most testing conditions. Our ambos, firies and police officers were braving the wet throughout the day, dealing with the normal run of medical emergencies and the not-so-normal traffic duties that arise when roads are flooded.
It was remarkable nothing too serious occurred during the deluge. There were a couple of rescues as people found themselves stranded in floodwaters, suggesting the message about not attempting to cross is simply not getting through. People, just don’t do it – it’s not worth risking your life and it’s certainly not worth risking the lives of others who have to come to your rescue.
There were other hairy moments on the roads, when visibility was rendered all but non-existent by the teeming rain, so we were pleased to hear from a couple of people we spoke to that on the whole motorists were driving to the conditions.
Thankfully, we expect this low pressure system to move on reasonably quickly but there will be testing times in the next few weeks as the waters subside, revealing potholes and other damage to our roads.
We urge motorists to remain patient as Shoalhaven City Council confronts what will inevitably be a mammoth task attending to the workload.