A woman was swept into a storm drain as Victoria battled wild weather, with no one able to hear her scream for help over the rushing water.
The 58-year-old slipped and landed in the Raglan St drain in Daylesford, northwest of Melbourne, just before 9pm on Monday.
The woman was dragged for some time in flowing water, with the water reaching up to her neck.
She then managed to grab onto a metal pole and screamed for help, but no one could hear her.
After struggling against the flowing water for a while, the woman managed to get herself back to safety with the pole.
The 58-year-old managed to walk to her friend’s nearby home and was treated for minor cuts and bruises.
Nearly 500 calls for help were made to emergency services as thunderstorms, damaging winds and heavy rain lashed the state.
There were almost 250 reports of damage to buildings and 110 food-related incidents across the state in the 24 hours to 7am, the SES said.
About 63 reports related to trees on roads during the wild storm.
The suburbs of Melton, Altona and Point Cook in Melbourne’s west were among the worst affected areas, along with Lara near Geelong and Horsham in the state’s west.
A severe weather warning remains in effect for heavy rainfall and damaging winds for much of eastern Victoria, stretching from parts of Melbourne to southern Gippsland and the High Country.
The alert extends across the NSW border to parts of the South West Slopes and Snowy Mountains, with damaging winds and peak gusts of up to 130km/h expected on Tuesday morning.
On Monday, lightning caused a 40-minute stoppage in the Geelong and Hawthorn AFL match at the MCG, while the Stawell Gift final was postponed by about two hours due to heavy rain and water across the track.
Meanwhile, a woman in Daylesford in central Victoria narrowly escaped after falling into a storm drain just before 9pm on Monday.
She fell down an embankment and was carried through fast-flowing water until she grabbed a metal pole, Victoria Police said.
The 58-year-old tried to call for help, but could not be heard due to the sound of running water.
Police said she was eventually able to climb to safety, suffering minor cuts and bruises.