More than 25,000 Victorians are still without power following the states storm and fire disasters. The number of homes destroyed have risen to almost 60.
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00:00 Driving into the small township of Pomona, Tuesday's destruction is all around you.
00:10 Over the last 24 hours, residents have returned to assess the damage from the bushfire.
00:15 44 properties have now been confirmed lost around the Grampians in Victoria's West,
00:20 homes like Damon Henrickson's.
00:23 Yeah, this was actually two dwellings, so it was all my family, but there's eight people in total in here.
00:28 It's a lot of people that are now looking for somewhere to sleep.
00:31 Local firefighters did manage to save some homes.
00:35 It's pretty emotional to know the community members have put their lives on the line,
00:45 protecting our houses, and they've lost their own.
00:47 You know, it's really hard to deal with.
00:51 The question for so many here in Pomona in this recovery is where to begin.
00:56 Just days ago, they were in their homes, they were running their businesses,
01:00 and now this landscape, their properties, their community is just so unfamiliar.
01:08 It's not the only community starting down the recovery road.
01:11 In the east, extreme storms have left 16 homes uninhabitable, while one man lost his life.
01:18 Margaret Whiting's veranda was smashed to bits.
01:21 I saw it out of our dining room window, and I thought, "Ah!"
01:26 In the thick of the wild weather, Lauren Banks tried to ring triple zero
01:30 when she saw a woman trapped in her car by a fallen tree.
01:33 The first time, it was probably about a 10-minute wait, and we got cut off.
01:40 And then the second time, I couldn't get through at all.
01:44 25,000 homes in Victoria are still without power, and it could be weeks until they're all reconnected.
01:52 So for now, people are left queuing for petrol for their generators.
01:56 Writers.
01:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]