NEWS
Oh, what a difference a metre makes! While many homes and businesses in the Indie’s patch were devastated by last week’s flooding over several days, many livelihoods were spared when the river peaked about a metre below what experts had predicted.
No better examples of this were the many tenants of Merthyr Shopping Village on the corner of Merthyr Road and Brunswick Streets in New Farm. At the flood’s peak last Thursday, the centre’s underground carparks were fully flooded, with water bubbling up out of the various stairwells (above) and causing minor floor damage to some tenancies.
And while it is true that all the centre’s tenants have lost valuable trading days and losses that will take a long while to recoup, the hundreds of sandbags that protected theese shops would have been useless if the river had reached the 5.5 metre level – equal or even exceeding the 1974 flood – that hydrologists had predicted.
The community spirit was on show even at the height of the flood, with an impromptu barbecue (below) using supplies provided by Coles, Vue cafe and other businesses. Their generosity made a similar barbecue possible the next day at Merthyr Road Uniting Church.
Above: Merthyr Shopping Village was a sea of sandbags at the height of the floods, although it made New Farm Park perfect for a spot of kayaking (below).
