We want answers – Elleker residents question if flooding damage could have been prevented or at least limited

Elleker residents are demanding answers as their homes remain islands in floodwaters with water levels continuing to rise in some areas over the weekend — one week on from a storm that shook the Great Southern. After a level of flooding not seen in at least 30 years, residents are questioning whether more could have been done to stop the destruction after more than 100mm of rainfall fell in four hours last Sunday. A sense of normalcy was restored for residents of Albany and Denmark by Friday, with shredded trees cleared, washed away bitumen repaired, and South Coast Highway and Lower Denmark Road reopened. But 15km out of town, in low-lying areas around Lake Powell in Elleker, some homes were still only accessible by boat. Woodides Road resident Jamie Langdon was operating a tinny taxi, ferrying neighbours out of their homes to go to work and delivering food. Five-year-old Heleana joined her father, running armfuls of jelly-snakes back to her mother and five-month-old baby brother, who had been stuck in their home since Monday. The lollies were given to them by another local resident. “It brings the community together. I met my neighbour for the first time in three years,” Mr Langdon said. “This water is going to take weeks to go down. “The recovery is going to be huge.” After inundating their street, floodwater was just 2cm from their front door on Monday last week. Mr Langdon was just able to move his machinery before his shed filled with water. Cut off from the rest of town and emergency services, residents of the worst affected roads — Woodides, Lake Powell and Elleker-Grasmere — were left to fend for themselves. “We had no warning, zero warning,” Mr Langdon said. “The only way we knew it was coming was my dad lived through it here in 1991. “We went for a drive that morning and saw the plug had washed out and my dad knew that we were going to be waist deep in water.” Lake Powell Road resident Evelyn Roth and her husband returned to their home of 18 years for the first time on Friday to assess the damage. Their home, once surrounded by green paddocks, is now in the centre of a sprawling muddy swamp. It took less three hours for rising water to start lapping at their front door on Monday. “It was like Lake Powell just flowed. We had water flowing past the shed and cascading pretty much like a water feature into the paddock behind us,” she said. “Then it equalised...and that’s when it really started rising.” The family spent Monday night in a caravan before moving into temporary accommodation. “If they knew that Elleker had the potential for flooding I feel like we should’ve got a call or been warned, then we would have been able to do more about it,” Ms Roth said. “We just sort of watched the water rise and we were just hoping it would stop at some point, but it didn’t. “We rang Water Corp on Monday morning and nothing was said to us apart from we can’t get to you guys so we can’t help you. “We just sort of felt like we were left on our own.” About 40 people from Elleker and Cuthbert visited an emergency services hub hosted by the Department of Communities and the City of Albany at Elleker General Store on Thursday and Friday. City of Albany community development officer Tammy Flett was helping residents access food, shelter and feed for their animals. “There are some people who are not coping so well but that is a normal response to an emergency,” Ms Flett said. “But for the most part people are being really understanding and positive. There is going to be a long-term impact that will be quite stressful for a lot of these families so it is going to take time. “And obviously until the water recedes we really don’t know the full extent of the clean-up.” The situation went from bad to worse at the weekend for one Elleker-Grasmere Road resident who asked to remain anonymous, as water flooded her home on Saturday. She is now holed up in her shed with her dogs and cats. “Everywhere else the water was receding and ours just kept going up — no one could explain why,” she said. “It has continued to rise until Sunday night. “It is very daunting. It is like a movie, it should be called The Swallowing or The Drowning. “We are literally in the middle of a 1000-acre lake and it is just lucky certain parts are higher than others. “I really want everything to be explained — how this happened, why this happened and what we can do to prevent it.” Some residents say the flooding could have been prevented or significantly reduced by quickly restoring a “plug” at the Marbellup Brook Levy which washed out during Sunday’s storm. The collapse of the man-made plug caused a deluge of water to flow into surrounding properties before it was repaired on Friday. The same plug was washed out during storms three decades ago and repaired with rocks and gravel. Water Corporation Great Southern regional manager Adrian Stewart said crews repaired the plug as soon as the damage was reported and it was safe. “Conditions made repair work challenging, however, the plug was closed late last week, with full reinstatement to be completed late this week,” he said. Mr Stewart said the flooding was the result of an “extreme weather event... exacerbated by seasonally high tides” that were slowing stormwater flow towards the Torbay Inlet and hampering the area’s ability to drain naturally. “The Elleker drainage system is comprised of three interconnected drainage networks, two natural lakes, and the Torbay Inlet,” he said. “Within the drainage network, surge barriers and earthen bunds are in place to help direct the movement of stormwater towards the ocean. “The movement of floodwater in the area is constrained by water flow from the Torbay Inlet out to sea. “The drainage network assists this movement, however, seasonally high tides are slowing water flow and hampering the area’s ability to drain naturally. “Floodgates in the area are properly maintained and operating as they’re designed to. “Since the storm, they have played an important role in helping direct floodwaters away from low-lying land.” He said rainfall over the Sunday night had “far exceeded normal drainage conditions” even during severe storms. “The drainage network is important in helping manage stormwater flow, however, it does not provide a guarantee against rapid and extreme floodwaters, especially in low-lying areas,” he said. “Our crews are doing all they can to help floodwaters recede and we will continue to keep residents updated.” Albany Mayor Dennis Wellington said the City would hold a community meeting at the Elleker Hall tomorrow from 5.30pm. There is more rain forecast for the Albany area this week. “Our biggest fear of course is the prospect of more rain ... that is going to compound the problem,” he said. “It’s sort of a one in a 100-year thing so it is something we have to work around and work as hard as we can to mediate the problem. But it is going to take us a little while to achieve that.”