Workers sifted through the twisted metal and concrete remnants of a footbridge swept away by Sunday's furious storms yesterday, as meteorologists warned Canberra would be lashed by more wild weather this summer.
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The footbridge, which crosses a stormwater drain near the Yarra Glen and Melrose Drive roundabout in Curtin, was washed away by the torrent of water raging along the channel below.
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The water swallowed the footbridge and dragged it nearly 1km along the stormwater drain, before it came to a rest near See Place, opposite the Royal Australian Mint.
The footbridge dragged along the surface of the stormwater drain, tearing up concrete and causing extensive damage as it went.
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ACT Roads officers were assessing the repair bill yesterday, and will work with the ACT Insurance Agency to recover the costs of the clean-up.
The bridge's destruction was a striking testament to the power of the weekend's storms.
It was also a powerful reminder of the dangers of flooding in the areas surrounding the Yarra Glen and Yamba Drive roundabout. Flooding in the area resulted in tragedy in 1971 when seven people lost their lives after being swept away by fast moving water.
Sunday's storms dumped some 33mm in just 30 minutes over Tuggeranong, and 45mm over the entire day.
That is nearly an average month of rainfall in just 24 hours.
Weatherzone.com.au meteorologist Alex Zadnik said such large volumes of water were dangerous when they fell in such a short time.
''Outside of the tropics, you only really need about 15mm over the space of an hour to cause localised flash flooding, so to get 33mm in half an hour is quite incredible rainfall,'' Mr Zadnik said.
''When you get that much rain, low-lying areas, low-lying roads, tend to go under water pretty quickly, gutters and so forth can't cope with that level of water.''
Meteorologists are also warning that wild storms will continue to hit the ACT over the coming summer.
Mr Zadnik said high levels of moisture in the air, caused by a La Nina weather pattern, would mean an elevated risk of storm activity.
''The summer outlook, especially into January, with the La Nina pattern in place, there are going to be episodes of elevated moisture, and more episodes of high moisture levels, so the risk of severe storms is elevated this summer beyond a neutral summer,'' he said.
The State Emergency Service is working through the remainder of 156 calls for help received since Sunday, cleaning up minor flooding at homes and properties across Canberra.
SES deputy chief officer Jeremy Logan said most jobs had been caused by people failing to clean out gutters and downpipes.
SES crews were fully prepared for a busy storm season.