Mental health support:
• Lifeline go to www.lifeline.org.au or phone 13 11 14.
• Beyond Blue go to www.beyondblue.org.au or phone 1300 224 636.
• Kids Helpline go to www.kidshelpline.com.au or phone 1800 551 800.
• SANE Australia go to www.sane.org or phone 1800 187 263.
• 1800 Respect offers domestic family violence and sexual assault counselling service that provides information and support 24/7. Contact them at www.1800respect.org.au or call 1800 737 732.
• MensLine offers telephone and online counselling service for men with family and relationship concerns. Contact them at https://mensline.org.au/ or call 1300 78 99 78.
Financial support:
Financial support is available to help Victorians who are displaced by an emergency. To find out if you are eligible, contact Council during business hours on 0417 640 727.
Protect your health:
• Keep clear of damaged buildings, power lines and trees.
• When cleaning up, wear strong boots, gloves and protective clothing, and wash your hands and clothes regularly.
Safety:
• Food safety is important during power outages. Once cold or frozen food is no longer cold to touch, it can be kept and eaten for up to four hours and then it must be thrown away.
• Do not use a portable generator indoors. Generators can produce carbon monoxide gas that is invisible and has no smell. If it builds up in the home, it cause sudden illness, loss of consciousness and death.
• Be aware of road hazards such as mud, debris and damaged roads or bridges.
• Drive slowly and obey all road signs.
• For more information on road closures go to the VicRoads website traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au or phone 131 170.
Essential services:
Power has been restored to the majority of households in the shire. A small number of community members may still be without power throughout today. Restoration may take longer than usual due to the extent of the damage.
Powercor aims to keep restoration times up to date, however these may change as crews attend jobs and assess damage. Powercor will continue to update customers on restoration times via SMS and on their website at www.powercor.com.au. You can also phone 13 24 12 for an update.
The Department of Health and Human Services is working with energy providers to ensure those customers dependent on power are being checked on.