As destructive winds die down, Victoria deals with the aftermath of violent storms

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A woman is dead, buildings have been demolished, and tens of thousands of Victorians are without power after parts of the state were once again smashed by wild winds. Gusts reached 146 kilometres an hour in some parts -- which is equivalent to a category two cyclone. The SES received about 4,500 calls for help, more than a thousand homes and buildings were damaged. It was a rare, record-breaking event that's left many counting the cost.

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00:00Howling through the city.

00:04Looks like an actual hurricane out there at the moment.

00:07Along the coast.

00:09Look at this.

00:10And through the suburbs.

00:12Victorians were left reeling as the destructive storm swept the state.

00:17We heard like a god awful snap and we came out and our tree had fallen.

00:21We got two young kids inside, their bedroom's at the front of the house, so yeah, very lucky.

00:24And then came out and saw the, my whole roof is out.

00:29It was severe and deadly.

00:32A 63-year-old Victorian woman was killed after a tree fell on her cabin

00:37at a caravan park in the border town of Moama.

00:40Her husband treated for injuries in hospital.

00:43Again, I would urge people if they are camping or using our local parks

00:48to be very aware of their surroundings.

00:50Vicious surf lashed coastlines.

00:53Last night at Mornington Pier, a boat was spotted heavily rocking in the extreme conditions.

00:59By morning, it had sunk.

01:01The bay's iconic bathing boxes weren't spared either.

01:05It's actually devastating.

01:07The whole community is impacted by this being our local beach

01:10and it's been an ongoing issue and at the moment it's just panic stations.

01:15The winds sent even brick structures tumbling.

01:18So ferocious, they brought down the facade of this Armadale cafe.

01:23Very disappointed at the moment.

01:25We were ready to open this morning for business as normal,

01:28but yeah, we've got a bit of a mess to clean up.

01:31This is just one example of how fierce those winds were as they came through the suburbs.

01:36Here in Glen Iris, heavy branches have fallen, downing a power pole and crashing onto this car.

01:44The SES worked quickly through the growing incident list.

01:48180,000 without power from Portland to Bansdale.

01:53But it won't be a quick fix for everyone.

01:55Some won't have power restored for some time.

01:58Please plan for 72 hours.

02:01Be ready for 72 hours in the event that for some reason it does take that long.

02:06This afternoon, a fresh barrage for an already battered city.

02:11Luckily, the worst of the wild weather is subsiding.

02:14A relief to those with a big clean up ahead.

02:17There's a lot of work to do.

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