Cricketers at last Saturday’s match between St Mary’s and Dandenong West rush to cover the pitch at Thomas Carroll Reserve as heavy rain hit suddenly in the afternoon, disrupting play.By Shaun Inguanzo
FLASH flooding wreaked havoc in Greater Dandenong last Saturday, halting train services, trapping motorists, and delaying sport events.
A ‘moist environment’ was responsible for triggering heavy rainfall in certain areas across Melbourne, including Greater Dandenong, with up to 40 millimetres of rain reported between 9am on Saturday and 9am on Sunday.
A Connex spokeswoman said a tree had fallen across the Springvale train line at approximately 2pm on Saturday, leaving commuters unable to access train services between Dandenong and Westall train stations.
“We had trains stopped between Westall and Dandenong stations and bus services were called in,” she said.
“The (bus services) replaced the train service between Dandenong and Westall.”
The spokeswoman said the line was cleared by 3.45pm.
Afternoon storms hit Dandenong, causing flash flooding, including under the rail bridge at Foster Street and along the Princes Highway.
Several motorists attempting to cross the Foster Street water were left stranded, including a learner driver and his instructor, and another motorist.
Meanwhile, Dandenong West cricketers struggled to play against St Mary’s at Carroll Reserve, Doveton, after the rains pounded the pitch.
The heavy rains also filled the dam near Sandown Racecourse, eventually spilling over and gushing underneath the Corrigan Road bridge.
Emergency crews, including the CFA and SES were called out to a variety of jobs, including fallen trees.
Weather forecaster Stephen King from the Bureau of Meteorology said the moist climate and a sudden change triggered the storms.
“It was the really moist environment we had, with instability around,” he said.
“We had a westerly wind change come through that triggered all the storms – it was mainly that change that triggered everything off.”
