Freak storm causes damage across Benalla

The Uniting Church in Benalla had its roof torn off by the wind, while trees were down in gardens and residential streets across the city.

Benalla recorded 38mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on Sunday, most of which fell during the storm.

At its peak, 20mm fell during only 20 minutes.

As Sunday morning turned to afternoon, VICSES crews had responded to 109 RFAs.

Of those, 85 were for downed trees blocking roads and access routes and 19 for property damage from downed trees and their limbs, as well as high winds, causing damage to a number of properties; most notably John Cooper Hall on Carrier St.

All of those RFAs have now been cleared.

VICSES volunteers, with other agency crews and Victoria Police, worked until early evening on Sunday to manage the scene where live power lines had been broken, mainly by downed trees, as utilities providers worked to restore power to homes.

VICSES units from across the Hume region responded, including crews from Benalla, Chiltern, Mansfield, Port Phillip, Seymour, Wangaratta and Yarrawonga.

They worked alongside Shepparton Search and Rescue, Victoria Police and local CFA brigades from the Benalla group.

Many in the Rose City were without power following the storm. While some had power restored in the early hours of Sunday others were without power for more than 24 hours.

The blackout affected local supermarkets, including Woolworths, which pulled all refrigerated stock from shelves.

Those shelves, however, have now been replenished, as has been the case at other local supermarkets.

Benalla Rural City Council has announced that disposal of storm-related green waste and hard rubbish will be accepted free of charge at the Benalla Landfill and Resource Recovery Centre from now until 3.45pm on Sunday, January 22. The landfill is open daily from noon to 3.45pm.