The South Australian State Emergency Service carried out seven swift water rescues overnight as heavy rain swelled rivers and dams, with flood warnings issued, roads closed and thousands of homes blacked out across Adelaide and the Hills.
The SES received hundreds of calls for help and said “people [had] became trapped in fast-rising floodwater”, while the rising Onkaparinga River had forced the closure of Mount Barker Road near Onkaparinga Valley Road at Verdun.
The Hahndorf/Verdun off ramp from the South Eastern Freeway closed at 4am, with River Road at Hahndorf also closed.
Lobethal Road near Monomeith Road at Ashton was also closed on Friday morning, with debris on the road near Basket Range Road.
SA Power Networks said after 7am that more than 2000 homes remained blacked out around Coromandel Valley, Blackwood, Hawthorndene and Craigburn Farm, while hundreds of properties around the Hills, including Mylor, Carey Gully and Uraidla, also lost power.
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A flood advice warning was issued for Swamp Road at Lenswood due to a dam spillway ‘overtopping’, while a flood watch and act warning was issued for Waterfall Gully Road residents due to First Creek flooding, with the road closed.
The Bureau of Meteorology reported 56.8 millimetres of rain had fallen at Mount Lofty since 9am Thursday, Adelaide CBD had 41 millimetres, Parawa West recorded 43 millimetres, while some Aldgate residents on Friday reported overnight rain gauge readings of up to 90 millimetres.
Wind gusts of 67km/h were recorded at Adelaide Airport, and 65km/h at Mount Lofty.
SA Police said advised motorists trying to enter Hahndorf to continue to the Mount Barker exit or take the earlier exit at Bridgewater.
They also said it was unclear when the roads would be reopened.
“Mount Barker Road at Hahndorf, between the Onkaparinga Valley Road roundabout and River Road is currently closed due to flood water from the Onkaparinga River which has breached its bank,” police said.
“Flood waters are too high for vehicles to travel through, and at this stage it is unknown how long the roads will be affected by this flooding. Motorists are advised to find alternate routes.
-more to come
- This article first appeared in InDaily and is republished here with permission
