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Tornado victims at a caravan park on the NSW-Victorian border will finally get to sift through the remains of their belongings at 10am today.
NSW Fire and Rescue had banned residents from entering the Denison County Caravan Park at Mulwala.
This was because of concerns about asbestos ripped out by Thursday night’s twister packing winds of up to 300km/h.
A group of residents was escorted on to the site on Saturday afternoon but only to take photographs of the damage.
A super cell of thunderstorms produced the tornado that cut a swathe through Mulwala, Yarrawonga, Barooga, Bundalong, Rutherglen and the Koonoomoo area near Cobram.
More than 20 homes and 100 caravans were destroyed and many more badly damaged.
Victorian Premier Denis Napthine yesterday told victims that they might be eligible for a $30,000 grant to assist with repairs.
Dr Napthine flew to the Border to assess the damage first-hand.
“My first reaction was, ‘oh my God, aren’t the people lucky that we didn’t have loss of life here and we didn’t have more serious injuries’,” he said.
“A couple of them said to me that they had said to each other ‘We’re not going to survive this’.
“It must have been so frightening to know your life was at risk.
“When you think about 250km/h to 300km/h winds — that’s the level they were — which we’ve never seen in Victoria before.”
The ban on a Denison return was necessary to allow authorities to carry out an extensive clean-up, with police providing security.
Police Sgt Grant Churchin said it would have been simply unsafe to let others in.
Raquel Smith, of Braybrook, was angry as she “should be allowed to go in and have a look”.
The Victorian State Emergency Service is warning people to watch for storm debris entering the Murray and lower Ovens rivers and Lake Mulwala.
“Debris such as building material, roofing iron, tree branches and other material may be submerged and not be visible, posing a risk to navigation and the safety of water users,” a spokesman said.
The tornado injured 20 people, including two men in their 50s who were flown to Melbourne hospitals.
A couple in their 70s were also taken to Melbourne, with all now described as being in a stable condition.