Fed: National Museum damaged by hailstorm

AAP General News (Australia)
12-29-2006
Fed: National Museum damaged by hailstorm

EDS: Changes southern suburbs as the worst affected in today's storms, based on updated
advice from emergency services



By David Crawshaw

CANBERRA, Dec 29 AAP - A freak hailstorm in Canberra caused a ceiling to collapse at
the National Museum of Australia late today.

The museum would remain closed tomorrow while the damage was assessed, a spokesman said.

He said an administration block at the popular tourist attraction was damaged when
intense storms swept through the national capital shortly after 4pm (AEDT).

There was no damage to the museum's valuable collection of Australian materials and artefacts.

"What appears to have happened is that there's been some blockage in the drainage on
the roof, in the guttering. There's been a build-up of hail and water and that's crashed
through," the museum's director of public affairs Dennis Grant said.

"The damage has been confined to the administration block, so the collection is safe and secure."

Mr Grant could not put a figure on the damage, which he said was "all repairable".

There was no one in the administration area when the ceiling came down.

Strong winds, lightning and heavy rain lashed the capital for about half an hour today,
and the lawns of Parliament House were coated in hailstones up to one centimetre in diameter.

By 6pm (AEDT) the sun was shining again after the short downpour that delivered only
11mm of rain to Canberra, which is experiencing drought.

The ACT Emergency Services Agency said its volunteers received 22 calls for help following
the storms, with Canberra's southern suburbs the worst affected.

Most requests for assistance were for minor flooding damage and fallen trees, a spokesman said.

A severe thunderstorm warning remains in force for the ACT and surrounding regions.

A spokesman for the Bureau of Meteorology said showers and thunderstorms were likely
during the next few days.

The National Museum, opened in 2001, is considered one of Australia's most iconic buildings,
known for its distinctive architecture and prominent location on Lake Burley Griffin.

AAP dcr/jjs/cdh

KEYWORD: STORMS ACT NIGHTLEAD

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