Wild winds leave trail of damage at Melbourne retirement village

More than 60 homes in a retirement village in Melbourne’s east have been damaged in a matter of seconds after a burst of fierce winds tore through the area.

SES crews rushed to Keyton’s Waterford Park retirement village at Knoxfield, 27km east of Melbourne’s CBD, about 9:45am on Wednesday, 26 November, initially called to secure the roof of a single property after what was described as a “very intense high-wind event”.

By Wednesday afternoon, more than 30 SES volunteers from multiple units had responded to what they labelled a “severe wind event” that ultimately damaged 60 homes in the village, which has 133 homes and 144 residents.

“This morning we had quite a severe wind event that’s come through…it’s impacted initially what we thought was ten houses (and) is now up in excess of 60,” SES Knox Unit controller Kristian Schouten said.

“We are expecting that to climb now that we’re able to get out to actually have a look.”

Kristian said the damage was extensive.

“Roof tiles have been blown off, we’ve got solar panels that are damaged, front facades of houses have been blown away…so (it’s) pretty bad,” he said.

He added it was “very lucky” no one was hurt.

“Especially with the debris flying around we were quite lucky that no one was hurt.”

Kristian warned the repair bill was likely to be significant.

“Unfortunately it’ll be quite high…lots of the structures are badly damaged, we’ve got front of houses that have been ripped off, garages damaged as well as a solar panel.”

Keyton CEO Nathan Cockerill said the blast of wild weather was over almost as soon as it began and praised the emergency crews.

“The SES and fire brigades are on site assessing damage and making the area safe where needed and I thank them for their assistance,” he said.

Keyton said it and its insurers will cover damage to buildings, while residents are responsible for any damage to their home contents.