Victorian couple's home 'soaked' with water after destructive flood hits
A Victorian couple may be without their home for six months after devastating floods filled their house with a foot of water.
Kallan Fitzclarence lives in the rural Gippsland town of Traralgon, sharing a house on Shakespeare Street with his wife Laura and their two dogs.
But the pair have now had to move in with his mum after floodwaters drenched their home, deeming it unliveable.
"The beds just in here, they're all soaked. The couches, they're all soaked," he told Today.
READ MORE: Thousands without power in Victoria as damage assessment begins
Kallan Fitzclarence spoke to Today. Today
The water rose about a foot and flooded The Fitzclarences' home. Supplied
"With the damage that has happened, we're going to have to rip out the floors and probably most of the plaster, replace the kitchen that's made out of MDF (medium-density fibreboard) that's soaked up all the water."
They have not had power since the storm hit last week, opening the door to find water pooling in their yard.
The couple have started cleaning up their home but will likely have to replace the flooring, plaster and walls. Today
Kallan Fitzclarence's friend Jordan was on site to lend his support. Today
About three minutes later, it started soaking through the walls and floorboards.
"It didn't come through the front door, just started seeping up through the floorboards and walls and dispersed everywhere," Mr Fitzclarence said.
READ MORE: Victoria flood disaster continues as powerplant evacuated
An aerial view of flooding in the township of Traralgon in Gippsland. Widespread flash flooding in the Latrobe Valley has resulted in many towns in the area hit with power outages and electricity is not expected to be restored in some locations for days. Blake Bourne
"I grabbed my wife, yelled out to Laura and said, 'we've got to go.'
"Grabbed one of the dogs, the other swam to the car and we jumped in and drove off."
The community's support has been immense, with several locals offering to assist him with the clean-up.
"I have probably had 100 different people or groups of people offer to help come clean up when we can," he said.
"We're actually pretty content.
"We've got to take it as it comes I think. Sitting around wallowing and just being upset is not going to help us so move on with it."
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