42 millimeters in 30 minutes. Wallace Street gutters just could not cope with the downpour on December 30 and rain spilled over the concrete blisters flooding at least one business. Trees were down around the town, including several of the poplars that lead into Braidwood.
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Cheryl Hannah of Fyregallery said that during the peak of the downpour the water “came straight in under the two front doors and ran across the gallery floor.”
“It was just a waterfall straight down into the cellar” Ms Hannah said, as the force of the water was enough to push it to the back of the gallery and through the floorboards there.
Ms Hannah believes that the effect of the downpour was exacerbated by the blisters which cover the drain on main street. The "extra water being pushed onto the footpath by the pedestrian crossing” meant that water was “spread back towards the buildings” Ms Hannah said.
Fortunately the cellar was empty and Ms Hannah is believes the gallery has suffered little or no permanent damage.
Several houses suffered damage from the unusually heavy rain. Eryn Wood of Bunn Street said that the lack of drains on the street and the building site next door meant that, “eveyone’s water just came straight down our drive into the main bedroom.”
It was fortunate she and he husband were home, as they were able to rip up their carpet squares and move furniture away from the water which covered half the room. Mrs Wood said she was grateful for their lucky escape, as while the water was “almost up to your ankles” there was little permanent damage to the house.
Harry Cassilles, Local Controller for the Braidwood SES, says the service attended seven jobs on the night of the storm, and a further three the following day. Callouts were mainly due to flooding and trees blocking roads, Mr Cassilles said.
“When we get these big storms we get a lot of wind, so anything that is not fastened down is likely to fly away.” He added that when storms are forecast residents should avoid parking under trees.
In response to a request for comment on the failure of the drains to divert water effectively Council said they were “aware of the stormwater issues in Braidwood” and would continue to work towards resolving the problem.
Representatives highlighted the rarity of the rainfall, saying that the “amount of rainfall in this time period is well in excess of a 1 in 100 year rainfall event.”
Council wished to assure residents that the problem was being addressed. A “project to design drainage structures and systems in Braidwood, with a particular focus on Wallace Street, and a second project to complete a floodplain risk management study for the town,” they said.
This is not the first time Braidwood has suffered a deluge around New Year’s. A similar downfall, with similar results beset Braidwood on January 12, 2015.
Recently released research suggests that Australians can expect more such extreme weather events in the future, as air temperatures lead to increased humidity.