Local lifesavers swap the beach for floodwaters

LIFESAVERS from Inverloch and throughout Bass Coast had a big sea change after being deployed to the widespread flooding gripping many parts of the state.

For the first time, Life Saving Victoria (LSV) assisted with a major flooding event with their expert skills on the beach being put to good use tackling floodwaters.

Inverloch Surf Life Saving Club captain Nicholas Perera was one local member deployed to the floods and shared his experience with the Sentinel-Times.

“We were deployed, my dad and I, to Rochester on Saturday (October 15) and that was the main area of concern at the time,” he said.

“About 80-90 per cent of the town was underwater and initially it was a bit harder to get there with all the floodwaters.

“We had to find back roads to try and get there.”

Mr Perera said they arrived in the afternoon and spent almost six hours in floodwaters on a rescue boat.

“My dad and I were going past different houses and doing welfare checks on residents who stayed behind to look after their houses,” he said.

“That was my main job, and we were also tasked with transporting people who needed to get out and be transported from their house to a dryer part of town.”

Mr Perera highlighted the experience was incredible while very different from patrolling the sandy beaches of Inverloch.

“I’ve never done anything like that so there was a lot of the unknown,” he said.

“But having extensive experience in driving boats through surf beaches and rough conditions, those skills definitely transferred across.”

Mr Perera added he was deeply surprised at the attitude of residents and how resilient they were.

“It was obviously very confronting seeing people who just lost everything,” he said.

“But I couldn’t believe how incredibly positive the people who stayed were.

“It’s not what I would have expected for people in those circumstances.

“We got asked quite a few times if we were okay and if they could support us in any way.

“It (natural disasters) seems to bring out the best in humanity; everyone is trying to work together and it’s nice to see that aspect.”

In total, four lifesavers from Inverloch were deployed to different parts of the state, with many others from Bass Coast also assisting.

It is expected more members will be deployed as flooding continues.