Victorian woman killed after tree falls on home in severe winds
A woman has died after a tree fell on her home in the small town of Millgrove, east of Melbourne, on Sunday afternoon, police confirmed.
The woman aged in her 50s died at the scene, with emergency services desperately working to assist her.
"We can confirm there has been a death as a result of a tree falling on a residence at Millgrove," Victoria's Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley said at a press conference.
"Every frantic effort was made to get to her."
An 81-year-old woman was rushed to hospital after a tree fell on her home in Tecoma. Police were able to rescue the trapped woman.
Mr Lapsley said both events were "two of the most traumatic" parts of the day.
Two firefighters also received minor injuries from falling branches and are being treated, Mr Lapsley said.
Tens of thousands of Victorians are without power and fallen trees are creating hazards as severe winds overcome the state.
Power is out to at least 21,000 properties across the state, with 5000 of those at Healesville in the north-east, according to the SES.
Outages to 5139 properties have been reported at Sunshine, west of Melbourne; as well as 1771 in Cobram East, due to wires blown down by high winds, power providers have reported.
A 90-year-old woman was taken to the Maroondah Hospital after a falling tree crashed into her roof at Badgers Creek home, north-east of Melbourne, The Age reported.
She is believed to be in a serious but stable condition.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a Severe Weather Warning for damaging winds across Victoria.
Wind gusts are expected to exceed 120 km/h in elevated and coastal areas of the state during the early afternoon.
The cold front is expected to bring 5mm to 10mm of rain however winds are expected to ease behind the cold front, the bureau predicted.
Most affected are Mildura, Horsham, Warrnambool, Bendigo, Shepparton, Seymour, Maryborough, Ballarat, Geelong, Melbourne, Wodonga, Wangaratta, Traralgon and Bairnsdale.
The Maroondah Highway from Healesville to Narbethong has been closed.
"Damaging winds are causing power outages in various areas across our network," CitiPower and Powercor Australia confirmed in a joint statement.
"We thank our customers for their patience while our crews work to restore supply safely and as quickly as possible," the statement said.
Crews are believed to be investigating the cause and working to restore power to affected areas.
The inclement weather reportedly caused a Singapore Air cargo plane tail to hit the tarmac at Tullamarine airport on takeoff late Sunday morning.
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The Melbourne airport recorded winds of 85 km/h at 8.10am.
The runway was later re-opened after engineers checked for debris and damage.
A second runway was earlier closed due violent winds.
Flights departing the airport are delayed following a backlog of aircraft. Passengers are advised to check flights with their airlines.
The State Emergency Service advises people should move vehicles under cover or away from trees; secure or put away loose items around your house, yard and balcony; and keep clear of fallen power lines.
SES duty officer Brad Dalgleish told 3AW radio crews were on high alert. He warned Victorians to secure outdoor furniture and bring pets inside.
"We have had a significant amount of rain over the past few weeks and the ground is certainly wet, and trees are quite heavy," Mr Dalgleish said.
"We anticipate we are going to get a significant number of requests for assistance throughout the day."
