LATEST: Epping police station has re-opened and dozens of residents are mopping up after a horror storm lashed Mernda, South Morang and Epping overnight.
Larnook Place in Mernda was one of the many streets hit with flash flooding and several houses were inundated with water.
Local teenager Mikayla Eagle said several houses were damaged and the street was knee-deep with water last night.
“Our house is on a hill but the water was up to the door step and at least four or five neighbours had water through their houses and their furniture is wrecked.”
The Epping police station in High Street was closed from 6.30-10.30pm because water had come through the first floor roof, Inspector Bob Dykstra said.
He said the water inundation sparked concerns about electrical risks, so officers were moved to the Mill Park station.
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He said the water caused foam ceiling tiles to collapse and saturated carpets, mainly at the front of the building.
Long-time Mernda resident Graeme Bushby said “It was one mean storm; the worst I’ve seen in years”.
“It started with hailstones the size of marbles, it was frightening. The rain came down so heavy I couldn’t see past my back fence.
“The rain pelted down. We had 60 millimetres in an hour. My [water] tank had been half full, now it’s overflowing.
“Next door’s front yard is in my driveway; the rain just washed the soil in.”
He said his bedroom ceiling was pouring with water at one stage.
Mernda resident Sam Musso said he was driving about 7.45pm and saw flooding in Schotters Road and flooding on the sides of Plenty Road, near Mernda Villages.
State Emergency Services spokesman Lachlan Quick said there had been 20 emergency call-outs each for Mernda and South Morang and several in Epping.
He said these areas were the second hardest hit after Sunbury, which had 30 calls.
Mr Quick said a row of townhouses in Pyrenees Lane, South Morang, all suffered water inundation.
Road flooding caused problems for householders as each time a car passed through the water it sent “waves” inside houses, he said.
Despite a lot of flash flooding on roads, no motorist was stranded, he said. There were unconfirmed reports of a burst water pipe in Plenty Road, South Morang, which added to the headaches.
In many cases, guttering could not cope with the downfall and forced water back inside the roof causing ceilings to collapse, he said.
“It’s very messy.”
On social media networks, locals reported a 36mm downpour in an hour at Laurimar and 70mm in Mitchell’s Run in Doreen early last night.
The Bureau of Meteorology website listed 66mm rainfall at Mernda over 24 hours to noon today and 55mm at Yan Yean.
An insurance council spokesman said these incidents were defined as storm damage which was covered by most policies, but householders should check with their insurers.
There are no cost estimates for last night’s storm, but a hailstorm on Christmas Day 2011 across Melbourne suburbs cost $728 million in insurance claims.
