EDITORIAL: South coast welcomes winter solstice with a wild storm that leaves homes flooded and roads damaged

Midnight on Sunday marked the start of the shortest day of the year in the southern hemisphere. Let’s call it the longest night. Forgive us, pagan gods, for not pausing to honour the winter solstice. You see, we had a bit going on. By midnight, homes were already flooded in McKail, cars were stranded in Orana and the roads between Albany and Denmark had sustained significant damage. Stories from the storm that left Albany and Denmark reeling We take you inside the flood zone on the south coast Albany’s emergency response system had whirred into action, with SES volunteers on the ground and fire crews pumping water. Elsewhere, members of the public had stationed themselves in front of flooded roads, guiding motorists away from danger. It was a long night for everyone but much longer for some. One of our reporters spent the night with their family, trying to stop the water getting into their home. It was a valiant battle fought with broom and towel, but one they ultimately lost. Another reporter was stuck on their farm, a flooded road effectively cutting them off into the next day. Once the sun rose, the extent of the damage and clean-up operation came into focus. Thousands of homes were without power and many were without water. Our team wrote Tuesday’s newspaper with our laptops hooked up to a petrol generator until the power flickered on later in the afternoon. It certainly didn’t feel like the shortest day of the year. For most of us, normal service has since resumed. Now, our thoughts are with those in low-lying areas around Elleker, who are still dealing with the flooding. And our thanks go to the volunteers and workers who have been attending to the clean-up since Sunday night.