The deluge left a trail of destruction with stock dead, fences damaged and one house needing emergency sandbagging. 

The heaviest fall was between 9pm and midnight Thursday, with many residents saying they had never seen so much rain in one hit. 

A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said a broad trough of low pressure that stalled over western Victoria had caused the heavy rain and more could be on the way. 

Werrap farmer Greg Watt told the Mail-Times the amount of water was “quite frightening.” He expected “quite a bill” to repair damage from the narrow storm band. 

Mr Watt and Ellam farmer Jeff Perkins both received 125mm or five inches within two hours and a 24-hour total of almost 150mm or six inches. 

The deluge washed fences into paddocks, leaving Mr Watt with several kilometres of fence to repair, 25 ewes and about 20 lambs dead and him ringing insurance companies to arrange inspection times. The downpour and wind also stripped iron from machinery and hay sheds. 

Mr Watt said it took him about an hour to drive his vehicle 10 kilometres from Rainbow to his farm during the downpour. 

“I’ve never seen water like it. There were very strong torrents across the road as well,” he said. 

“It did cross my mind that I mightn’t get home.”

“The only good thing is we’ll have a moist seed bed now,” he said. 

Clyve and Helen Friebel of Rainbow were also counting the cost of the heavy rain when the Mail-Times called on Friday afternoon. 

“We’re surrounded by 18 inches or more of water, and it’s up to out thighs out the back of the house,” Mrs Friebel said as rain continued to fall steadily. 

Mrs Friebel said horses nearby had been standing in water up to their stomachs. People had helped the Friebels push their four vehicles, two in a shed and two outside, to higher ground. The Friebels found them Friday morning with water up to door handles and steering wheels. Cheque books and docket books were floating inside them. They had bought one car three weeks ago. 

Mrs Friebel said son Tyrone, 15, sold eggs to Rainbow residents. His chickens died in the deluge. 

Mr Perkins told the Mail-Times he had to drive through water up to half a metre deep to get back to his farm on Thursday night. “There was water over the road for nearly a third of the trip on the main Jeparit-Rainbow road,” he said. 

“I can’t ever remember water like that. The rain was just belting down. It was unreal.”

Official rainfall figures for 24 hours to 9am Friday: 

24 hours to 9am Saturday:

RAINBOW and district residents remain unable to fully assess damage from an unprecedented deluge which dumped up to 150 millimetres on the area late last week. 

Hindmarsh Shire council is also yet to fully assess damage to roads and roadsides but expects a hefty damage repair bill. 

Damage to paddocks after erosion and removal of top soil, to fences, stored grain and vegetation will not be fully known until all water dries. 

Greg and Helen Watt of Golden Grove Corriedale Stud at Werrap between Rainbow and Jeparit described the wind which stripped or whipped out about 200 mallee trees on a road near his land as cyclonic. 

The force of the downpour swept everything away in its wake including several kilometres of fencing on his property, stock and vegetation. 

“I’m thankful this happened in February and not the middle of June when crops would have been in and destruction far worse,” he said.

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