Rivers Unit has had a busy week on the operational front, now having been called out in 3 days out of the last 5, chalking up approximately 136 hours in the field and all due to damage caused by a couple of storms. Most of the jobs that the Rivers Unit crews have attended over the past 24 hours involved damage from falling and fallen trees, starting in Belconnen and then working their way over to the inner North of Canberra. There were 207 jobs called in to the ACTSES yesterday, starting just after 2am and ending last night. Two SES Unit (Belconnen and Woden) were out again today, with Rivers Unit being called out this evening to a tree-felling job in the Canberra suburb of Garran.

The damage occurred after a violent wind storm hit Canberra between about 1 and 3am, with winds recorded at 82km/h at its peak (http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDN60903/IDN60903.94926.shtml). Given the ferocity of the wind storm, the damage, although widespread was relatively and surprisingly light.

At the conclusion of today’s operations, Rivers Unit has now chalked up over 1600 hours in the field on operation this year.