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TWO units on Victoria Lane in Eaglehawk had to be evacuated after being flooded in Friday afternoon's deluge.
The brother of one of the residents, Glen Rankin, said he had to help evacuate his sister, who suffers from multiple sclerosis.
"We got her out, she was very distressed, very distraught. We're now trying to get as much water out and save as much gear as we can," he said.
"This is twice now it's happened to the poor girl."
Residents said it was the second time in five years that a blocked drain beside the railway line had caused flash flooding after it was covered with a grate to prevent children from entering the drain.
Victoria Lane resident Jason Hill said the grate was often clogged with debris which meant the low lying street failed to drain properly.
"As soon as we get a heavy rain within two hours at the maximum it gets to this level," he said.
"The maintenance is the big issue with it because they don’t keep it clean."
Mr Hill estimated the water level was at well over his head at its highest point.
Neighbour Christina Houlden said the drain had been effective in preventing the area from flooding prior to the instillation of the grate.
"We've been here 20 years and it’s never been like this, except when we had the last lot of rain, that was horrendous, but it's only since they've put the grate on there that it's become this much of an issue," she said.
City of Greater Bendigo Mayor Peter Cox said the council cleaned the grate regularly but the rate at which the area flooded was still a concern.
"That gate collects all the rubbish from the area, and it's a very large area, and it gets blocked up so we probably need to look at some alternative," he said.
"It needs to be reviewed and we need come up with a solution so that it doesn’t happen again."
Mr Cox said the grate had been removed on Friday evening to prevent further flooding over the weekend.
“If there are heavy rains during the night it shouldn't be a problem," he said.