LAST Year’s flooding crisis on the Mornington Peninsula has left a trail of destruction that authorities are struggling to resolve, but that’s no consolation to flooded-out Merricks’ resident Ian Sharpe.
Sharpe’s complaints to the council are banked up with thousands of potholes and storm water drainage complaints that have plagued the region, with no quick fixes and little end in sight for residents.
His Merricks home is on a dirt road and was flooded with water late last year, but he is still waiting for the council to resolve a long-running storm water problem that sees road water run off directly into his property.
His home is virtually unliveable, but he feels like he has been “ignored”.
“A part of my home was flooded in the rain event in Merricks of 14 November 2022. My lounge room was damaged requiring new plastering, painting and new carpet,” he said.
Sharpe, who is awaiting an insurance estimate, blamed the flooding on “poor road grading and the absence of a culvert and drainage management” in Hellicars Road.
“The rain event saw a river of water coming down my driveway, flooding my lounge and had the rain not eased, the rest of the house would have been impacted,” he said.
Sharpe said a temporary culvert of about one metre either side of my driveway was recently constructed by council workers, but was “not satisfactory”.
“If another rain event occur I doubt the efficacy of this action and I await the shire’s master plan for drainage in Hellicars Road,” he said.
“No remedial grading of the road and re-sloping has occurred at this stage. I believe that this limited action that has taken place is an acknowledgment of what has occurred to me and my home.”
While he is waiting, Mr Sharpe currently has no “functioning lounge room” with furniture distributed into my dining room and other parts of the home.
“He said had spent a “considerable amount” to temporarily fix the problem, but believed the council was ultimately responsible.
“None of the reality that I currently am dealing with would be necessary had the shire done the work that I pay my rates towards – this being drainage and adequate and appropriate road management,” he said.
“Again, no drainage and inadequate road maintenance has left me paying for the remedial work to my driveway that will amount to thousands of dollars and living in a portion of my home.
Shire mayor Cr Steve holland acknowledged there was more work to be done at the property.
He said the Hellicars Road was inspected by engineers in November, who determined that some minor works may improve the situation.
“This work requires a large amount of crushed rock and will be completed once the materials and required equipment are available,” he said.
First published in the Western Port News – 1 February 2023
