Saturday’s downpour was a doozy, in short, sharp bursts of deluge that rose river levels and busted creek banks right around the region.

The State Emergency Service was, as ever, right in the thick of it, with a water craft hitched on stand-by should conditions have turned critical.

As it was, half a dozen houses called for help; and no doubt many more defended their properties valiantly but alone, not wanting to ‘bother’ local crews.

It’s cold comfort to know that instances of flooding into roof and wall cavities could have been avoided with a little more storm planning and preparation.

As local SES?unit controller Robert Bell has sensibly pointed out on today’s front page, Saturday’s problems were mostly caused by inadequate drainage.

“People should ensure their gutters are cleaned at least twice a year,” Mr Bell told the Post on Sunday after his crews had responded to calls past midnight.

 “It does not matter if you have trees nearby or not. Debris is blown by the wind [onto] your roof and into the gutter with light showers, but not washed away.

“When we get storm events, the gutters and downpipes block up, spilling water in under the eaves and into the ceiling space,” he said.

The SES will always respond to flood and storm emergencies; and should such a situation arise, they can be called on their hotline number, 132 500.

But wouldn’t it be great if more crews could stay home with their friends and family on a Saturday night - any night, really - if we just got ourselves organised.

We know that?cleaning gutters isn’t the greatest of jobs around the home, involving heights and ladders and buckets of muck to cart away.

Check the Yellow Pages for professional help; or, if the house budget has more sag than stretch to it, organise a neighbourhood working bee.

Yes, neighbours helping neighbours, like we did before the age of the ‘instant’ fix and the internet: that’s how communities became better places to live.

On that note, this is also a shout-out to the harried and the hurried: the parents and carers driving school runs right around the region. 

A new roundabout near Mulwaree High is apparently changing driver behaviours from rigorous to risky, and that’s just not cool, especially not around schools.

Teenage brains lack fully developed critical faculties, impairing decision-making. Couple that with impatient drivers and it’s an accident waiting to happen.

Everybody, everywhere: slow down, pull back, wait your turn, obey the road rules, look out for kids, and drive to the weather conditions.

Be a ‘good neighbour’ on our roads.