Storm causes widespread damage in Perth 22-07-2008
More than 150 SES volunteers flat out with over 350 calls for assistance.
More than 150 SES volunteers have been kept busy following storms last Friday and Saturday, with damage to hundereds of homes in Perth and leaving more than 23,000 homes without electricity. At the height of the storm, winds in excess of 100 kilometres an hour tore roofs off homes and uprooted trees. 28.4 millimetres of rain fell in a 24 hour period.
In total, the SES received 375 calls for assistance, with 170 of these from the Melville area.
The old Fremantle traffic bridge which was closed after part of the Swan Hotel roof blew onto it, and the Fremantle Dockers had to cancel a grand final for school students at Fremantle Oval. Extreme winds also managed to blow sea containers onto their side on Fremantle wharf.
On Friday afternoon, Police urged workers in the CBD to leave early to avoid peak hour traffic which was exacerbated by road closures and traffic light failures.
Flooding forced the closure of Riverside Drive in both directions, and one lane of the city-bound Kwinana Freeway, north of Canning Highway.
