00:00 Hundreds of trees brutally flattened, some onto homes.
00:07 It was really, really frightening, the rain and the wind.
00:12 This community is so resilient, but they have absolutely been smashed.
00:16 Locals say the storm that tore down trees like this must have been a tornado.
00:21 They're calling for more support from authorities as the town recovers.
00:25 The community feels like people are unaware of how bad things are here.
00:30 So I'm certainly calling on the current state government to implement as much help as they can to this region.
00:36 Don't forget us.
00:38 The power is still out, leaving the main street eerily quiet, save for the sound of chainsaws and tractors.
00:46 As efforts to clear roads and repair homes continue.
00:52 The high school remains closed, one of 13 across the state shut today due to the extreme weather events.
00:59 Look, I don't think we'll be safe to run the buses until at least Monday.
01:04 And then of course we've got to worry about the sewage in the town.
01:07 The water is safe to drink, but authorities say supply is still limited.
01:13 Ongoing mobile phone outages left some residents unable to make a triple zero call.
01:19 For others, it meant they didn't hear about the death of a local 50-year-old farmer until late in the evening.
01:26 I didn't know that anyone had died because we stupidly don't have a battery-operated radio.
01:34 Telstra says it's working hard to restore service in Merbou North.
01:39 50,000 Victorians remain without power, most of them in the state's east, including towns such as Trafalgar and Yarragan.
01:47 AusNet says most should be back online by Saturday.
01:51 We are looking at how we can get in and provide support for those communities that are going to be affected for longer.
01:58 How much longer remains unknown.
02:01 own.
02:01 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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