Victoria’s Premier Jacinta Allan has confirmed Tuesday’s bushfires burned through 44 properties while severe storms destroyed a further 16 homes.
It comes as emergency crews continue recovery efforts after extreme conditions hit the state this week.
Over 500,000 lightning strikes on Tuesday led to one of the state’s worst power outages on record.
The State Government has announced disaster relief payments for those impacted by the severe weather.
Bushfires in Victoria
Authorities described conditions on Tuesday as Victoria’s “worst fire risk day” since the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires.
Bushfires broke out in the state’s west, where Country Fire Authority (CFA) crews battled high temperatures and strong winds.
The majority of damage is in the town of Pomonal, about 240km west of Melbourne, where dozens of properties were destroyed.
Storm
A 50-year-old dairy farmer was killed when severe storms tore through South Gippsland on Tuesday evening.
The Premier said at least 16 homes in the region have been left “uninhabitable”.
Nearly 544,000 lightning strikes were recorded within a 600-kilometre radius of Melbourne during the storms, leaving more than 500,000 Victorian homes and businesses without power.
Around 33,0000 properties are still impacted by the outages, as work continues today to restore power.
Relief payments
The State Government has announced relief payments for eligible Victorians impacted by Tuesday’s bushfires.
This includes immediate relief payments of up to $2,240 for eligible families impacted by the fires.
Assistance of up to $49,300 is available for anyone whose home was severely impacted by the fires or storms.
Jacinta Allan today announced additional payments for Victorians experiencing prolonged power outages.
This includes $1,920 a week for up to three weeks for residents and a $2,927 payment per week for businesses.
An ‘energy provider compensation payment’ of $90 is available to those Victorians impacted by a power outage for more than 12 hours.
“The community is understandably suffering and doing it tough from the events on Tuesday…we are here to support you as we work through the physical rebuilding effort,” the Premier said.
