Towards the end of each year we always put together a post showing you the worst gutter blockage we’ve seen over the past 12 months to give you a bit of a glimpse into our day-to-day life here at Grayson’s Gutter Cleaning. This year, we’ve taken a bit of a different approach. The gutter featured in this year’s article is not only blocked but has been completely taken out by damage from fallen pine trees (as well as much of the home itself). In the early hours of the 29th of September 2021, one of the worst windstorms to ever hit Melbourne left a trail of damage in its wake.
As much as we’d love to give you one of our regular worst gutter blockage posts, honestly, there were too many to count this year because we’ve had such wild weather in 2021. So, in this year’s worst gutter blockage article, we’re talking about one home that copped a terrible amount of damage from windstorms, but we’re also giving our fellow Melbournians a few tips to minimising the risk of damage caused by blocked gutters before storms even hit.
What happened to this home?
Firstly, we must send our sincere condolences to the owners of this home, and the many other people in similar situations, not just from the storm that hit in September, but from the other wild weather we’ve seen here in Melbourne throughout this year. Some of us have been lucky just to escape with heavily blocked gutters after the strong winds, others are facing much direr circumstances.
As you can see in the above image, this beautiful home didn’t escape the damage of the winds we saw towards the end of September. This home is one of many with tremendous damage from wind that was measured to be as strong as a hurricane in some areas.
As much as we love living in natural areas with lots of trees, they can pose serious threats to homes in storm-prone areas, especially large pines like the ones that landed on this house. You can see just how crazy the winds were to be able to completely uproot these giants, topple them and cause such significant damage to what appears to be a sturdily built residence.
We really need to send a shoutout to our hardworking SES crews across Melbourne too. As you can see by the tape around the trees, they were present at this home, lending their services, as well as at countless other homes across the state. They have truly put in a heroic effort this year (and every year).
What wild weather conditions have we seen in Melbourne in 2021?
Since the start of the year, we’ve had such a run of bad weather with strong windstorms with hurricane level winds, heavy rains with flooding and even a magnitude-5.9 earthquake that was felt as far away as Newcastle in New South Wales and Launceston in Tasmania!
As mentioned above, the particular storm that downed the trees around our featured home happened only a few months ago at the end of September and was one of the worst recorded windstorms we’ve ever seen here in Melbourne.
Why is it important to have clean gutters BEFORE the storm hits?
While it’s hard to predict just how bad a storm is going to be, we can always prepare ourselves as best we can. For homes that don’t sustain the amount of damage as the one featured in today’s article, it’s still likely that gutters will become completely blocked with leaves and debris carried by strong winds.
Even if your home isn’t located in the central area of the storm, normal winds have been known to carry leaves more than a kilometre away, while hurricane and cyclone strength winds have a much wider berth, sometimes carrying items five to ten kilometres away.
So, it pays to have your gutters clean and gutter protection in place before the storm hits to help minimise blockages caused by heavy winds and rain and the subsequent damage a blocked gutter can cause.
If your gutter is already partly blocked or without a quality form of gutter protection like a gutter guard and a severe storm hits anywhere within one to ten kilometres of your home, the risks include…
- Fully blocked gutters causing water to overflow into the home
- Improper drainage causing mould and mildew to fester and spread
- Heavy water build up causing burst gutters and downpipes
- And much more!
How can I protect my home from damage caused by blocked gutters after storms?
If you’ve encountered damage to your home from the storms we’ve seen this year in Melbourne that has been directly related to overflowing, blocked or damaged gutters, please reach out to our team.
Every Grayson’s technician is fully trained in recognising the best solutions for each individual gutter system and home, so you will get honest and smart advice when it comes to protecting your home.
Phone: 1300 472 976
Website: www.guttercleaningmelbourne.com.au
It’s always better to be safe than sorry, especially with such unpredictable and wild weather as seen throughout 2021 here in Melbourne.
Stay safe, and let’s all keep our fingers crossed for better weather in 2022!
