TYNWALD Park will be closed, most likely for weeks after rain, hail and high winds caused flash flooding last Friday. Junior sports games and training have been cancelled at the park for the foreseeable future. The popular park is home to football and soccer training, as well as other recreational activities.

DERWENT Valley Council outdoor teams were busy sand bagging and digging and clearing culverts at Tynwald Park before last week’s major storm. During the December rain event last year, the park was closed for four weeks, but authorities fear it may take longer to drain and repair the fields this time.

“A big thank you to DV Council, who have crews attending to flooding through-out the municipality but are still diligently working with the club to advise us of the state of the oval and now future plans to get us back training and back to having home games,’’ a New Norfolk Junior Football Club spokesperson said.

“At this point Boyer is closed too…the committee will advise coaches on returning to training.” Students from New Norfolk High were also given the day off due to water damage.

For the safety of staff, Mt Field’s Waterfall Cafe closed on the day. The Tasmania State Emergency Service responded to 140 requests for storm damage assistance on the day of the flood event. RACT Group CEO Mark Mugnaioni encouraged anyone affected by the floods to call as soon as possible with insurance claims, saying additional resources had been allocated to support the increased call-load. Parts of the south recorded more than 85mm of rain in 24 hours, which is the sixth highest rainfall recorded for the area in 120 years.