Bourke hit by unexpected storm

Assessments were carried out earlier in the week on damage done to property during a wild and unexpected storm that hit Bourke last Saturday with cleanup efforts continuing.

The intense weather over the weekend uprooted trees and took out power to over 900 Bourke businesses and homes Saturday evening.

The Bureau of Meteorology recorded a dumping 39.6mm of rain on Friday with a further 12.5mm on Saturday, however residents said the falls were higher, as the rain was often horizontal!

Power went out when a tree came down on powerlines with Origin Energy crews heading out during the wild weather to reconnect residents.

Bourke Public School’s main building had to be covered by an emergency tarp after damage to the tiled roof.

Bourke Shire General Manager Leonie Brown said that the town copped some wild weather.

“There was certainly a fair bit of force behind that wind, with trees uprooted and lots of branches down, and there’s quite a bit of damage, in and around town to buildings as well,” she said. […]

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Trees down at Bourke Public School. Photo TWH