Victorian State Emergency Services Stawell Unit controller Brody Stewart has returned from Gippsland where he helped in the emergency efforts during the recent flooding.
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Mr Stewart served as part of a rescue boat crew in Gippsland, working with Ararat Unit members Donna and Geoff Dunmore.
"We were involved in a lot of flood rescues and flood relocations on Thursday," Mr Stewart said.
"I think in total there were upwards of 30 (flood rescues) completed between our boat crew and another couple of boat crews there, so that was our main duty.
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"We were getting people, animals, clothes, and those sort of things out of houses because the floodwaters rose so quickly.
"The majority of the ones we did were relocations, where you had people stuck in their houses, but there were a couple of rescues where people had medical conditions and that sort of thing where it was more of a priority."
Mr Stewart was in Gippsland between Wednesday, June 9, and Saturday, June 12.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Sale recorded 72mL of rain on Thursday, June 10, and winds of up to 89Kmh.
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Mr Stewart said he witnessed significant damage in the region.
"There was a fair bit of damage to houses, mainly internally," Mr Stewart said.
"There was a lot of over-floor flooding. A lot of people were prepared though, they were able to pick stuff up off the floor but there were some that made the early decision to get out, so they then didn't have some of that stuff in place.
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"There's still a fair bit of clean-up to do around the area: cleaning roads, removing trees, and those sort of things that come along with floodwater."
Mr Stewart said he was pleased to be able to support the emergency efforts.
"For me, it was just a good opportunity to get down and help out where I could and just make a bit of a positive impact on the community," he said.
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