Man dies in Rochester floodwaters, urgent evacuation orders for multiple towns
Shepparton, Kialla, Orrvale and Mooroopna residents were told by emergency services they had a brief window to evacuate on Saturday night after earlier advice that it was too late to leave.
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Residents of Shepparton, Kialla, Orrvale and Mooroopna were given a small, two-hour period to evacuate on Saturday night.
People in those areas had earlier been told it was too late to leave.
However an SES spokesman said on Saturday night changing advice meant there was “an extra window” for people to evacuate before local roads were closed by 11pm.
Greater Shepparton mayor Shane Sali said the area was “unfortunately a divided community” on Saturday night after the Peter Ross-Edwards Causeway, the main road connecting Shepparton and Mooroopna, was closed about 7pm.
Another road connecting Shepparton and Kialla residents to Mooroopna, Watt Rd, was closed earlier in the day, as the Goulburn River continued to rise.
Cr Sali was helping direct traffic as queues of cars collected sandbags from the Shepparton Showgrounds well into the night.
Cr Sali said the closure of the causeway would offer some “significant challenges” for rescue efforts.
“The flooding is happening and people can see the waters are rising, but we’re going to do our best to support as many community members as we can.” he said.
About 100 people were staying at Shepparton’s evacuation hub at the McIntosh Centre on Saturday night.
Echuca residents were being urged to evacuate on Saturday night, asked to leave the relief centre open to those who needed it most.
“We’re still asking residents to evacuate, they’re expected to be impacted over the coming days,” an SES spokesperson said on Saturday night.
“There is a relief centre open at Bendigo Showgrounds but it can only hold approximately 100 people, so we’re asking the community if they do have family and friends they can stay with to use that option, and leave the community centre for people that have no other option.”
Dozens of homes in Charlton were also expected to be hit as evacuations continue.
“For Charlton, we’re expecting waters to peak this evening around 7.8 metres, so there’s likely to be 40-50 properties impacted,” the SES added.
“We’ve got SES and Forest Fire Management working in that community to assist with evacuations.”
‘Why does this still happen?’
SES Bendigo have pleaded with their community to stop driving through dangerous flood waters, taking to social media to alert motorists of the dangers.
They say 84 rescues took place in one location pictured, frustrating emergency services who continue to warn travellers about driving through waters.
“The first three photos are the highway between Bendigo and Heathcote, the last one is from near Ballarat. All taken today,” a Facebook post read.
“Imagine sinking into one of these and having to call for rescue.
“Imagine having a loved one in your car who is in this situation because of your decision.
“One location last night had 84 rescues.
“Let that sink in for a minute. 84 rescues.
“In one single location. Why does this still happen?”
Worst floods in almost 50 years
Shepparton residents were on Saturday evening bracing for the city’s worst floods in close to 50 years, with floodwaters rising earlier than expected ahead of their anticipated peak at 12m on Tuesday.
Evacuation orders were issued for the Shepparton CBD at 2pm, as authorities warned residents to prepare their homes and get out early.
Those living in nearby Mooroopna, Kialla West and Orrvale were told to pack up and go an hour earlier.
The Goulburn River was tipped to rise above 11m in Shepparton overnight before reaching its peak at 12m on Tuesday, just below record flood levels from 1974.
Seven Creeks in Kialla West, on the outskirts of Shepparton, hit a peak of 7m on Saturday afternoon.
Greater Shepparton mayor Shane Sali said up to 4000 homes were set to be impacted by the floods, with those living southwest of the city centre and in low-lying areas near the Goulburn River most at risk.
He said the council also had significant concerns for homes and residents near the river on the outskirts of Mooroopna.
“There is going to be a flood, a significant flood, we’re just hopeful infrastructure that has been put in place over the years can alleviate the damage that could be ahead of us,” he said.
“Because there has been some warning, we hope people have used their initiative and connected with people at higher ground and relocated.
“We know there’s a significant amount of the community that are going to be impacted by this, but we know there is a significant amount that won’t be, and we’re asking those community members to help out as much as they possibly can,” he said.
Cr Sali said authorities would only close the Ross Edwards Causeway – the main road linking Shepparton and Mooroopna which takes about 30,000 cars a day – if it was absolutely necessary.
Lines for sandbags stretched around the Shepparton Showgrounds all day, with drivers waiting for several hours in the early morning, before queue times shortened to about an hour in the afternoon.
A special machine capable of producing 1000 sandbags in an hour was driven up from Sydney, with volunteers chipping in to pass them onto Australian Defence Force members who helped load them into cars.
SHEPPARTON: Sandbags are being pumped out here at the Showgrounds by hard-working volunteers as the #VicFloods situation intensifies in town. @LeaderOnline@theheraldsunpic.twitter.com/xooyCxFXMR
— Kiel Egging (@keggs87) October 15, 2022
Shepparton resident Paul Cross, who was collecting some for his partner’s home in Mooroopna, said he had been communicating with his cycling friends and organising to help protect each other’s homes.
“We’ve got a good community, we’ve been all messaging on social media and organising to meet at someone’s house and sandbag, then off to another house, so we’ll just keep on doing that.
Shepparton’s relief centre was also in full swing at the nearby McIntosh Centre, while relief centres were also set up as far away as Tatura and Echuca to assist those displaced in areas including Rochester and Murchison.
Benalla and Seymour residents spent the day waiting for waters to reside after they copped the brunt of the floods on Friday, with more than 300 homes impacted in Seymour.
Major roads leading out of the area including the Goulburn Valley Highway at Seymour, and the Midland Highway between Benalla and Shepparton were closed off. In Wangaratta, the town’s Apex Park and Painters Island Caravan Park were inundated by floodwaters from the nearby Ovens River.
The river peaked at 12.8m and is expected to stay at high levels for a number of days.
Residents along Partiff Rd near its levee system were told to evacuate on Saturday morning, but the warning was later downgraded in the afternoon.
It was unclear if the Ross Edwards Causeway, the main road linking Shepparton and Mooroopna, would also be closed prior to waters peaking.
With thousands of homes potentially impacted, Shepparton residents were told to pack up and leave early instead of waiting for Tuesday’s peak.
“Clearly this is a very widespread and affected area … what we really want the community to understand is to go early, and to not wait until the peak where you could put yourselves and emergency personnel at risk,” Shepparton deputy incident controller David Tucek told the ABC.
“We’re expecting a large impact to properties and roads, and we’re certainly working to protect infrastructure in the area.
A 1km line of cars stretched along High St in Shepparton as cars queued for hours to collect sandbags to protect their homes.
A relief centre was also in full swing at the nearby McIntosh Centre, while relief centres were also set up as far away as Echuca to assist those displaced in areas including Rochester and Murchison.
Benalla and Seymour residents spent the day waiting for waters to reside after they copped the brunt of the floods on Friday, with more than 300 homes impacted in Seymour.
Further evacuations loom
Earlier on Saturday, SES chief operations officer Tim Wiebusch said people in flood-affected areas needed to be prepared to leave as soon as they received an official alert.
“We can’t emphasise enough that when we issue an evacuation warning, that is serious,” he said.
“We are asking people to leave and not stay in their homes.”
In and around Rochester, 160 people needed to be rescued from their homes after ignoring earlier pleas to evacuate.
“We are going to see further evacuation warnings on the Campaspe River, at Echuca, later today and into Sunday,” Mr Wiebusch said.
“The community at Echuca, you need to be ready and preparing to evacuate (in some parts).
“There will be a second peak and that will be coming from the Murray River mid to late next week.
“You need to be alert to your conditions … Don’t expect that just because you might be a kilometre or two away that it won’t impact you.”
Victoria Police assistant commissioner David Clayton urged people to “please heed those warnings and evacuate when you’re asked to”.
“We anticipate in coming days that we are going to see some of the largest evacuations that we have ever seen,” he said.
Commissioner Clayton said police were on standby in areas that are evacuated in a bid to stop people looting.
“We have no reports of looting, and there will be zero tolerance to any looting,” he said.
Premier Daniel Andrews is set to visit flood affected areas near Bendigo on Saturday.
Earlier, he said about 3000 Victorians had so far made applications for emergency support payments.
“While we’ve had a reprieve from rain, waters are rising, peaks are being reached, houses are being inundated and communities have been isolated because of these floodwaters,” Mr Andrews said.
Across the state, 344 roads are currently closed, but that number changes hourly.
Major roads are assessed twice per day, and a number of urgent repair works have already started.
The Andrews government says it has reached out to contractors from its Big Build projects to assist with temporary support.
“We may have to go back and redo that work at a later point but on major arterial roads, key roads for local communities, getting them open is the priority,” Mr Andrews said.
“Expense will not be an issue there. We will spend what needs to be spent in order to make sure that communities can be connected as quickly as possible.”
Fourteen relief centres have so far been sent up across the state, and 55 sandbag collection points are now operational.
Man found dead in Rochester floodwaters
A man has been found dead in Rochester floodwaters as Victoria’s crisis continues.
The 71-year-old man is believed to have suffered either a cardiac or respiratory arrest.
Emergency services were called to reports the man was found dead in floodwaters in the backyard of his High St property about 9.30am.
SES crews are on scene and police are attempting to get to the property which is blocked off due to floodwater.
The exact circumstances surrounding the death are yet to be determined.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the man’s death highlighted just how dangerous the flood emergency posed to Victorians.
“We’ll stand with that family and all families affected by this but it just brings home for all of us that this is serious,” he said.
“This is potentially very, very dangerous and hopefully that sends a broader message of just how serious this is.”
Mr Andrews said he sent his “deepest sympathies” to the family and friends of the victim.
“Rochester is a proud local community, a very tight local community and they’ll all be saddened to hear of one of their number passing away,” he added.
It has been a very tough night for the town, with floodwaters rising well in excess of the levels seen during the 2011 floods.
SES volunteers were working well into the night to evacuate people and pets from homes in the town.
Emergency workers were called to ferry a group of 20 people to safety from Railway Rd.
A community social media page post said that the “water was diverting itself” into Railway Rd “at the weir via the old Campaspe irrigation system”.
Emergency crews were still busy on Saturday helping residents in an increasingly dangerous situation, as streets in the town became fast-flowing rivers.
Victorians urged not to enter floodwaters
Premier Daniel Andrews on Saturday urged Victorians not to drive into floodwaters, warning that 344 roads were closed.
Emergency services warned they expected a major flood warning around Charlton.
Victorian Emergency Services chief officer operations Tim Wiebusch said 160 rescues had been carried out around Rochester overnight.
The Echuca community was warned on Saturday to prepare to evacuate as the Campaspe River and Murray River get set to peak.
Victoria Police assistant commissioner David Clayton said emergency services agencies had so far responded to more than 350 rescues during Victoria’s flood emergency.
More than 200 of these rescue operations took place to retrieve people from their homes, while authorities responded to 150 people caught driving through floodwaters.
Another 10 rescues were performed to save people from capsized tinnies.
Mr Andrews said so far about 3000 Victorians had made important applications for emergency payments.
“It works out at just over $2000 for impacted families, and it is about helping them with somewhere to stay, clothing, food, medicine, all of those basics that are critically important, at a very difficult time for them,” he said.
The Premier said 466 had flooding above floor level and about 500 properties were isolated.
He said he expected the to grow as we see floodwaters peak in several communities.
Mr Andrews said he has written to the banks to ask them to take urgent steps to defer or waive — wherever appropriate — mortgage payments and other payments for flood-affected families and businesses.
Power outages could continue
Energy authorities are warning that hundreds of Mooroopna and Charlton residents could be without power for some time as safety concerns mount in the community.
Critical electricity infrastructure in Mooroopna and Charlton is currently under threat as the Goulburn and Avoca rivers continue to rise.
“If significant flood water does reach either of the substations this may pose a major safety risk, so we may need to de-energise them to protect the community and reduce the risk of long-term damage to infrastructure,” a Powercor statement reads.
“If we do need to take this action, customers may be without power for a prolonged period as we will only be able to re-energise the site when water has receded and it is safe to do so.”
Meanwhile, power has been restored to most customers across western Victoria and Melbourne’s inner suburbs after major storms, including in Kensington where more than 1000 people had lost power this week.
Maribyrnong residents being clean-up
The Maribyrnong Community Centre filled up slowly on Saturday with weary and muddy flood victims trickling in.
Many of the attendees were residents of Navigator St, seemingly the hardest-hit street in the suburb and were marked by their muddy shoes and clothes.
The meeting was held by the regional controller, police and council representatives and they spoke to about 70 Maribyrnong and Footscray residents.
There were instructions on how to safely clean homes, dispose of waste and mud, as well as deal with issues like insurance and mould.
Primary topics of concern for residents were how to dispose of their hard rubbish – including carpets and rugs – and why there was so little notice on the severity of the floods.
The local council will be offering a myriad of support in the wake of the disaster, including extra rubbish collection, no parking fines, mud removal and assistance with insurance and disaster relief payments.
One resident said she wanted the council to do better.
“This is an approach that clearly isn’t working,” she said, addressing Minister for Housing Danny Pearson.
“We can’t just rinse and repeat and hope that next time there’s flooding that a few door knocks and half an hour will be enough.
“My question is: who is going to put their hand up and say that this approach isn’t working?”
A fellow community member came offering the support of over 500 local residents who were not flood affected, pledging their support in any way possible.
“There are so many of us and we want to help you – please, please know that you are not alone,” she said.
“We have utes, we have food, we have pet sitting, we have pressure cleaners – whatever you need.”
In a sigh of relief for the area, waters have started slowly receding and now only 100 homes remain inundated by floodwaters – a reduction from Friday.
Upended bins, muddy slush lining the streets and weary faces have marked Saturday morning for citizens of Maribyrnong.
Many with flood-affected homes have begun the laborious cleanup process, with pressure cleaners and brooms set to work in every other house.
The flood levels have sunk dramatically, but streets in low-lying areas are awash with sticky, wet mud that will not be easy to shift.
One resident of Stanford St in Maribyrong said she couldn’t believe her luck when the floodwaters stopped just before reaching her front step.
“I’ve always complained about those steps up to my house, but yesterday they saved my home,” she said.
Despite significant damage to the town’s recreation reserve, Newbridge residents on Saturday said they were “ecstatic” to have not relived the experience of the 2011 flood overnight.
The town was split in two by the rising Loddon River, but homes, the pub and the general store escaped inundation.
Residents say despite warnings from locals, two men had to be pulled from the river about 11pm.
“People were waving them down saying no no no,” Ron Harris said.
“But they tried to drive through and were swept away.”
Mr Harris said the men were seen clinging to trees for about 30 minutes before SES volunteers arrived to pull them out.
Their Ford Raptor truck now sits flooded as a warning to people passing through.
Resident of 22-years Lesley, says the water did not reach the “ferocity” or level of the 2011 floods.
“I was cut off last night wondering what happened,” she said.
“I’m so happy to see the pub and store escaped unlike in 2011.”
The Newbridge Recreation Reserve, rebuilt after the 2011 flood, was completely covered by water overnight.
It’s damaged today but locals say they’re very relieved it wasn’t destroyed.
A community clean up is scheduled for Sunday.
“It’s a funny thing but I’ve gotten to know most of my neighbours through natural disasters,” Lesley said.
“The entire town comes together. It’s a marvellous thing to see.”
Urgent evacuation warnings
Urgent evacuation warnings have been issued for parts of Victoria as the flood crisis continues, with the town of Murchison in the state’s north being told it is “too late” to leave.
In Wangaratta, an evacuation warning was issued for residents along Partiff Rd and surrounding streets near its levee system in the early hours of Saturday.
The Ovens River peaked at 12.8m overnight and is expected to stay at high levels for a number of days.
The river flowed into the town’s Apex Park and decimated its playground, while fears were also held for the nearby Painters Island Caravan Park, which is often subject to flooding.
Wangaratta local Coby Canning, 30, and her two children Alfie, 5, and Lottie, 6, surveyed the scene on Saturday morning.
“It’s right at the top of the levy bank … I’ve never seen it this bad (in the town) and I’ve lived here all my life,” Ms Canning said.
“There’s heaps of potholes, not just from the floods but the roads are so wet from all the rain we’ve had in the last few weeks, it’s literally pulling the roads apart.
Barwon River bursts its banks
The Barwon River also overflowed on Saturday and floodwaters were expected to peak in the evening.
Moderate flooding was occurring downstream of Inverleigh towards Geelong.
Residents have been advised to avoid the flooded areas and check the VicTraffic website for road closures and instructions from emergency services
The SES is urging drivers to be aware of road hazards, and not to enter flooded areas.
Barwon Terrace in South Geelong was partially closed at lunchtime on Saturday with several other roads closed across the Belmont, Inverleigh and Geelong regions.
“Being a parent with schoolchildren, even though we’re not in danger, it’s quite concerning.”
Residents in Murchison woke at 5.57am on Saturday to an emergency warning urging them to shelter in the highest possible location if they had not evacuated.
“The flood is impacting some areas now, which means there is no longer enough time to safely leave your property,” the emergency alert on the Victorian government’s website reads.
Other parts of Victoria battled through a stressful night of rising floodwaters, including Shepparton, Rochester and Charlton.
In the past 12 hours, the SES received 197 requests for assistance.
The majority of those calls were received from Rochester, with 126 calls being placed from the hard-hit town.
SES and police door-knocked 150 houses in Maribyrnong on Friday encouraging evacuation and about 30 homes ignored the instruction.
They all later had to be rescued by the evacuation crews.
Vic Emergency has issued urgent evacuation orders for Charlton Township, Maribyrnong and Wangaratta.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued major flood warnings for the Murray and Edward Rivers, the Mt Emu Creek, Ovens and King Rivers, Broken River, the Seven and Castle Creeks, Goulburn River, Campaspe River, Loddon River, Avoca River and the Wimmera River.
There is a lower chance of rain in Melbourne on Saturday, offering a small glimmer of hope for flood-affected communities.
The “entire town” of Rochester was “under water” on Friday night, with the local SES “inundated” with requests for rescues from people who had not heeded earlier evacuation warnings.
Five boats were working to reach stranded residents, with another five CFA 4WD tankers pushing through floodwaters to ferry citizens to dry land where buses took them to higher towns nearby.
Rochester SES unit commander Tim Williams said the nearest dry land west of the town had “moved six times” within the space of an hour.
“The CFA tankers are the only things large enough and heavy enough not to be swept away by powerful currents,” he said.
“They’re being used to go door to door and bring people to safety.”
The town’s flood gauge on the bridge over the Campaspe River was submerged by 7pm.
Residents in Mooroopna were on alert on Friday night after VicEmergency issued a “prepare to evacuate” warning for the area.
Floodwaters were expected to hit the area by Saturday afternoon, with major flooding to occur along the Goulburn River Seymour to Shepparton.
The Goulburn River at Murchison was on Friday night at 10.73m and rising – anticipated to reach 12 metres by Saturday morning.
Meanwhile at Shepparton, the same river was at 9.61m and could reach 10.7m by Saturday morning.
It’s anticipated that the floodwaters in the area may reach levels similar to that of the 1974 flood event, which saw waters rise to 12.09 metres.
VicEmergency issued a “prepare to evacuate” alert for residents in Shepparton, with floodwaters expected to hit the regional town by 11am Saturday.
Those residing, working, or holidaying in the region should gather essential medicines, documents and personal belongings they wish to take in case the watch and act alert is upgraded overnight.
Major flooding has developed at Murchison and has already peaked at Seymour above the May 1974 flood record of 7.64 metres.
It’s anticipated that this water will extend downstream to Shepparton during Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, those living within the Goulburn River Lake Eildon to Seymour regions were urged to move to higher ground as flooding within the area continues.
The suburbs of Kialla West and Orvale, near Shepparton, also received “prepare to evacuate” orders.
VicEmergency has predicted that moderate flooding will occur in Kialla West by 6am Saturday, followed by major flooding on Sunday morning.
Those residing near Lake Eppalock to Barnadown and Campaspe River downstream of Rochester, were on Friday urged to move to higher ground after VicEmergency released a new alert for the areas.
Major flooding is expected to surpass 2011 flood event levels in all three regions.
“Leaving now is the safest option, before conditions become too dangerous,” VicEmergency warned on Friday night.
Meanwhile, those residing in Orvale were expecting floodwaters to rise by 4am Saturday.
In a sign that the water is receding in some areas across the state, VicEmergency updated its advice for Violet Town on Friday night to “threat is reduced”.
Water levels at Honey Suckle Creek were falling and were expected to continue declining overnight.
The new advice comes after an earlier “watch and act” alert.
‘This is going to set new records’
The state’s emergency services on Friday warned Victoria’s flood crisis was “continuing to escalate”, with the damage bill likely to “set new records”.
Daniel Andrews toured floodwaters on Friday afternoon, surveying the damage from the skies.
The Premier said he would tour the Goulburn Valley, where he is expected to meet with locals and emergency service workers on the ground.
About 2000 emergency service workers, not including council staff and charitable groups, had so far been deployed.
“I think this is going to finish up being, in terms of property damage, roads, public infrastructure and just the sheer volume of water, I think this is going to set new records,” he said, in comparison to previous floods in Victoria.
Mr Andrews added that the damage already caused was likely to worsen.
“This event has obviously well and truly started and will run for a number of days,” he said.
“We won’t see peak levels of floodwater for quite a while and of course there is then the issue of rain events that are forecast in coming weeks.
“This is with us for a while yet.”
SES chief operations officer Tim Wiebusch said the major risk facing Victoria now was river systems flooding.
“There’s not many parts of Victoria that aren’t experiencing major flooding over these coming days,” he said.
But despite the widespread devastation, emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp said there was no need to declare a state of disaster.
“Whilst it is a major emergency, everyone is working very well together. There is great cooperation and collaboration,” he said.
“We are managing this emergency without a declaration. We will continue to monitor that over the coming days and weeks.”
Enacting a state of disaster would hand Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes “extraordinary powers”, including to suspend legislation, acquire property and force people to evacuate.
Mr Andrews said he stood ready to enact such powers on Mr Crisp’s request.
“The moment Commissioner Crisp believes that Minister Symes should be given quite extraordinary powers, he will advise me and I will sign off and those powers will move to the emergency services minister,” he said.
“There will not be a moment’s delay. At this stage, no such advice has come forward because there’s no need to do that.”
Victoria’s state control centre was activated at tier 3, which is the highest level of readiness. Representatives from Commonwealth, Australian Defence Force and the National Emergency Management Agency are on site in the Melbourne office.
Under local arrangements, defence personnel were sent to Shepparton and surrounding areas to move and fill sandbags to prepare for rising floodwaters in the next week.
“We will continue our discussions with the ADF and look at whatever support is required to keep our communities safe,” Mr Crisp said.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy and Nationals leader Peter Walsh on Friday both called on the Andrews government to declare a disaster in flood-affected areas.
That move was backed also by Victorian Farmers Federation president Emma Germano.
“It’s clear many will face a substantial clean-up and we must support them as a priority,” she said.
“Support is what’s needed and our local communities need that now.”
Mr Andrews said he had received an assurance from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that Victorians would “receive everything that we need”.
Mr Andrews on Friday warned floodwaters wouldn’t hit peak levels “for quite a while”.
“Then there is the other issue of rain events that are forecast in coming weeks and, of course, the ground was already sodden before this last couple of days of record rainfall,” he said.
“We know that even moderate rain events over coming weeks will present a real challenge for us, as well. So this is with us all for a while yet.
Meanwhile, a person reported missing in the small town of Newbridge, in central Victoria, was found alive and well.
The man was found clinging to a tree after the car he was driving was carried away by floodwaters.
Mr Andrews said he had received no advice to suggest that authorities were anticipating any deaths.
But he said the situation was unpredictable.
Quarantine facility to house flood victims
Up to 250 flood victims could be housed in the Mickleham quarantine facility from next week.
The Andrews government on Friday night confirmed it had approval from the Commonwealth to stand up the centre for Victorians who may need crisis accommodation due to flooding.
“Work has begun on preparations to reopen the site for use early next week,” a government spokeswoman said.
“The facility will reopen with capacity of 250 places for six to eight weeks, however, actual use will depend on the emergency response and accommodation demand.”
Disaster relief for flood victims
Thousands of Victorians applied for one-off disaster payments within hours of the state government announcing them.
“(This is) a flood event that won’t necessarily be over in just a few days. Some people may need to be accommodated for a longer period,” Mr Andrews said.
He warned insurers: “You need to be ready to process claims quickly”.
Mr Andrews said he had also written to the big banks “asking they consider offering financial relief, like deferring mortgage repayments for those affected by the floods”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the federal government would provide whatever help Victoria asked for.
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said the federal government was awaiting contact from the state government but would proceed quickly.
“We hope that, by Sunday, people who’ve suffered real hardship will be able to access a modest payment to help them keep their morale together, if nothing else,” Mr Shorten said.
“If they’ve suffered significant damage — water across the floorboards, the carpet — adults get $1000, children get $400 with that immediate clean-up.
“If in the case that someone’s lost employment, there’s another set of payments available.”
Fraser MP Daniel Mulino said it was very confronting to see water inundating much-loved local parks and playgrounds.
“My heart goes out to the people who, while safe right now, I’m sure are going to have to deal with a lot when they go back to their houses,” he said.
“The SES are doing an amazing job out door knocking. It just shows how volunteering is the backbone of our community.
“We have the Red Cross and other organisations helping people, and we have local businesses who have donated clothes, food, toys for kids.”
Earlier on Friday, Anthony Albanese said his heart went out to Victorians affected by the flooding crisis.
The Prime Minister said he had spoken with the Victorian Premier on Friday morning.
“There will be a request coming for support there,” Mr Albanese said.
“There are already ADF personnel on the ground in Victoria providing that support and assistance.”
Mr Albanese urged people to listen to the advice, not take risks and drive through flood waters.
“There can be very bad consequences if that occurs, if the warnings are ignored,” he said.
“My heart goes out to those communities who are affected at this time.
“The federal government stands ready to provide whatever assistance is requested.”
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton commended emergency services workers in Victoria, saying their response was “first class”.
“There are some very disturbing scenes as you are watching houses inundated,” Mr Dutton said.
“Evacuate in time, listen to the expert advice. We just don’t want to see a loss of life on top of the significant loss of property that takes place in these events.”
Mr Dutton said the Coalition would work closely with the government to provide support to people on the ground as quickly as possible.
Water levels begin to recede in Maribyrnong
Clean-up efforts began late Friday for some Maribyrnong residents worst affected by flooding.
Maribyrnong Mayor Anthony Tran said he would never forget seeing people in tears as they were reunited with the family pets they feared had been lost in the floods.
“They have lost family mementos, family photos family heirlooms,” he said.
“The tears weren’t for leaving behind their PlayStation 4, it was losing the mementos from their homes, the things that can’t be replaced.”
Marjukka Nieni, who has lived at the bottom end of the Esplanade for more than 20 years, said she had never seen water levels rise so high.
She was working as a member of the SES — beginning to doorknock other affected addresses — before she realised one of the damaged properties was her own.
“The backyard is still a swimming pool,” she said.
“It got into our garage and the studio.
“I was on night duty when I realised that one of the houses was mine.
“I started to move some things but by then, it was too late.
Markers of debris and dirt on Ms Nieni’s white front gate showed that water rose up to knee-length when the flooding peaked earlier on Friday.
Scores of soaked supplies were being carried into the muddy, wet carport as other residents began raking trees and floodwater from their driveways.
Neighbours in drenched clothing could be seen dragging bags of supplies such as food through the water and into their homes.
Water levels began receding further about 5.15pm.
Sebastian G’Agostino and his wife were left devastated after their newly renovated home in Maribyrnong was ravaged by floodwater.
The home, which was originally Mr G’Agostino’s family home, was quickly overrun by water on Friday morning — the family making a quick escape after the SES sounded the alarm.
“I’m devastated. I’m totally devastated,” he said.
“It’s the family’s safety that’s the most important thing but the blood sweat and tears that we put into this place and the money we put into this place, to turn into something that looks like this, to have this happened to it is just totally devastating.”
The couple had just finished renovating three weeks ago and had put a new pool in.
“We were quite proud of what we did,” he said.
But the water levels rose so fast that Mr G’Agostino and his son Sol didn’t have enough time to grab everything.
“It was either stay upstairs until this was over or get out of here and I didn’t want to get out of here,” he said.
“I wanted to understand what was going to happen to the place.”
Mr G’Agostino’s parents passed away four years ago. He couldn’t bring himself to sell the property.
“We couldn’t bring ourselves to sell it because we grew up here. So we thought you know, let’s make it ours,” he said.
“This was our haven.”
It comes after hundreds of Maribyrnong residents were told to evacuate their homes on Friday morning as floodwaters rose.
Dozens more were trapped inside their homes, including an elderly woman.
When the alarm was sounded on Friday morning, Oakland St resident Craig Constable and his partner Jehad grabbed their most precious belongings as they evacuated, including their puppy, Teddy.
The pair was shocked at how quickly the water was rising this morning.
“I was looking at the window and I could see the neighbour’s yard just literally filling up … and then within maybe a minute our yard was filling up,” Mr Constable said.
“It was inundated with everything we didn’t even get cars out 10 minutes. So you tried to grab precious things, including your dog, the passports and we moved all the personal documents upstairs.”
Neighbours on the suburban street shared food and hot drinks and cuddles with Teddy, keeping their spirits high despite the destruction caused to their homes.
A young family was rescued from the rising flood waters on Raleigh Rd on Thursday after becoming trapped.
After locating the family in the early hours of Friday morning, SES crews worked for an hour to get the family of three to safety by boat.
In tears, the daughter clung to her father as they were rescued first, with SES crews then retrieving her mother, who was visibly distraught.
The family, who wished not to be identified, are believed to be locals.
The Maribyrnong River at Keilor is expected to peak at about 8.7m.
Maribyrnong MP and former Labor leader Bill Shorten paid a visit to the Maribyrnong Community Centre on Friday afternoon as the remaining flood victims made their way to temporary accommodation.
“I know that perhaps 100 houses have been flooded, which is devastating. But having worked through the Black Saturday bushfires, I’m just relieved that there’s no loss of life,” Mr Shorten said.
A 30-year resident of the northwestern suburb, Mr Shorten said he had never seen such flooding.
“The water rose a lot quicker than people expected.”
“This certainly is a higher flood level than the Maribyrnong has delivered for a very long time. Normally as you run around the banks of the Maribyrnong or you’re playing the parks here, it’s the water levels down, not up.”
The former opposition leader, who lives just up the road from the flood-prone zone, said the river on Thursday night looked ready to overflow.
“The river looked very fat, like it was ready to burst its banks, but on the other hand, it was slow,” he said.
“It didn’t have the obvious speed of the early hours of this morning, and I think the speed and the size of the rise … I think, has shocked people.
Questioned about whether the SES was prepared for this level of flooding, Mr Shorten said the issue was for the state government.
“I can’t answer for the state government and SES,” he said.
“I do think two things as a local: one is, I don’t think the SES volunteers should be too hard on themselves. I think they stepped up and beyond.
“And two … I’m happy to support more resources for the SES, always have been.”
Locals rescued three people stuck in floodwaters and were attempting to rescue a fourth as floodwaters picked up pace.
Two residents living on Raleigh Rd, which was closed off on Friday morning, were rescued by a group of locals, who also helped an elderly man escape.
A man on other side of Clyde St was trapped by the heavy stream of water.
The SES was attempting to rescue him after he climbed on to a fence to escape the rising waters.
Maribyrnong resident Nadja Fink and her neighbour, Jen, arrived at the Maribyrnong community centre at 6am on Friday after being told to evacuate.
They’re praying their homes have not been affected but say it’s likely that the water has made it to their doors.
“It’s all a blur. I just remember a banging on the door and lights coming through my windows at 5am,” Ms Fink said.
Neighbour Jen said she moved all of her valuables, thinking it was likely that the water would make it to her property.
“It’s just a headache. It’s like replacing everything of cleaning. I put the photo albums and all that up higher,” she said.
New mum Sarah Trembath was quick to evacuate her rental on Newstead St at 6am on Friday morning with her eight-month-old baby, Auri.
Ms Trembath arrived to check on the property on Friday morning to find water up to her knees.
“There’s a lot of stuff in there. I got some stuff up off the ground, but there’s photo albums picture like stuff on my bookshelf … they’ll be ruined,” she said.
“I’m overwhelmed. I just hope it doesn’t get more higher but it looks like the water is still rising.”
A new resident to the area, Ms Trembath said she had no idea it would get this bad.
Emergency payments for flood victims
Victorians affected by the floods will be offered one-off emergency payments from 9am on Friday morning.
Premier Daniel Andrews said adults could apply for the $560 payment, while $280 would be allocated for children.
As of 12pm on Friday, more than 1500 people had already applied for an emergency payment.
“It’s about getting people through that immediate challenge where they’re not in their home because their property has been flooded,” he told ABC’s Virginia Trioli.
“(The payment) deals with food, shelter, medicines and things of that nature.”
Mr Andrews said Maribyrnong, Benalla, Wedderburn, Seymour, Carisbook and Rochester are the areas of biggest concern to authorities.
People can apply for the one off payment via: emergencypayments.dffh.vic.gov.au
Record flood levels along Goulburn River
The town of Seymour has been cut off with record flood levels along the Goulburn River.
The river was at 8.20m at 5am on Friday and is expected to peak near 8.50m – well above the previous record flood of 7.64m from May 1974.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued major flood warnings for 11 rivers, including the Avoca, Barwon, Broken, Campaspe, Goulburn, Loddon, Maribyrnong, Ovens and King, Wimmera and the Seven and Castle Creeks and Emu Creek.
Evacuation orders were issued for Seymour, Wedderburn and Carisbrook and parts of Benella.
The Skinners Flat Reservoir at Wedderburn is likely to breach which could result in three feet of strong fast moving water rushing through the town, emergency services have said.
A “too late to leave” order was issued early on Friday for people in the Seymour area bounded by the Goulburn River to Redbank Rd, along the Goulburn Valley Hwy to Whiteheads Creek up to the railway line and along the bridge crossing the river to the south.
SES warns residents of at-risk suburbs
Dozens of Melbourne suburbs were on Thursday night told to act quickly as the threat of floodwaters grew.
Residents in Essendon, Footscray, Moonee Ponds and Keilor were among the list of 42 at-risk suburbs, as the city recorded almost 10mm of rain in just over an hour.
The major flood warning for the Maribyrnong River kept residents in much of Melbourne’s northwest on alert.
“The level of the Maribyrnong River at Keilor is currently at 2.33m, and rising,” a VicEmergency alert at 9.16pm said. “Move to higher ground. Act now – immediately take actions to protect your life and property.”
It came as flooding caused havoc on dozens of Melbourne’s roads on Thursday during peak-hour, creating dangerous conditions for drivers.
At 9.30pm, the Bureau said Melbourne had received almost 20mm of rain since 9am on Thursday.
The city also recorded almost 10mm of rain in just over an hour on Thursday night after 7pm.
Residents in Hawthorn, Elwood, Caulfield, Box Hill, Thomastown and Blackburn were issued watch and act messages earlier on Thursday.
Flash flooding caused chaos for commuters on Punt Rd in Richmond, while nearby Gough and Melrose streets had to be closed.
The closure of the exit ramp of the Western Freeway to Old Melbourne Rd, at Ballan, due to flooding also forced motorists to detour.
The SES set up a sandbag collection point at the Bunnings Warehouse, in Port Melbourne, allowing locals at risk of flooding to collect them and begin preparing for rising waters.
Westbound lanes on the congested Thompsons Rd, in Clyde North, were also closed at peak hour.
Police blockades were stationed at some high risk areas including at notorious flood areas to stop people from driving through floodwaters.
Staff at the Anglers Tavern, in Moonee Ponds, which overlooks the Maribyrnong River in Melbourne’s west, were on Thursday night preparing in case they became inundated with rising river levels.
With the river being subject to a major flood warning on Thursday, staff had begun moving furniture to higher ground as they prepared for the worst.
“We’ve seen photos of the 1993 flood, which is what we’re basing our expectations on, and it pretty much hit where we’re standing right here, so that’ll affect the bottom half of our bistro,” pub manager Anthony Cook said.
The Werribee River, in the western suburbs, was also declared at risk of a major flood, with the SES saying water levels were continuing to rise.
“The Werribee River catchment has recorded rainfall averaging about 40mm in the upper catchment and 22mm in the lower catchment since 9am Wednesday,” an alert read.
“Rainfall totals of 40-50mm are forecast for the upper catchment and 10-20mm for the lower catchment for the remainder of Thursday.”
Entire towns displaced as water rise
Evacuation sirens rang out across the towns of Rochester, Seymour and Carisbrook on Thursday night as residents of multiple communities in Victoria’s north and central regions were warned to prepare for major flooding.
About 3000 Rochester residents were rushed out of their homes at 5pm after landline calls blasted emergency warnings and every mobile phone received an automated text message. Concerns were raised about Rochester, 180km north of Melbourne, early on Thursday as roads in and out of the town were cut off and supermarket shelves stripped bare.
As residents fled the flood – which was expected to reach the highest level since 2011 by 10am Friday – they were told to bunk in with family and friends on higher ground or travel 30km north to the United Football Netball Club in Echuca.
On Thursday, Northern Victoria was lashed with rainfall totals of up to 166mm and wind gusts up to 160km/h, but authorities warned worse was still to come. Power was cut to more than 30,000 homes as areas around Bendigo, Rochester and Seymour were hit hard.
Late on Thursday afternoon, Seymour and Carisbrook residents were told to evacuate immediately to safe locations.
People were reminded to take pets, mobile phones and medications when evacuating and to never enter floodwaters.
Rainfall is expected to settle over the weekend, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, but the potential has been raised for more through mid to late next week.
Daniel Andrews warned that even once the rain eased, Victoria’s flood emergency would be far from over.
“This is very serious,” the Premier said. “This will finish up being one of the most significant flood events we’ve had for quite some time.
“That will pose a real challenge over the coming days.”
A securities and emergency management committee of the cabinet was called for Friday morning, and the Premier said he and his ministers could visit flood-damaged communities over the next few days. Victoria’s emergency management commissioner Andrew Crisp warned Victorians: “We are not out of this yet.
“We’re in this for a while. The bureau is saying we’ll continue to see this cycle over the next six to eight weeks.”
Across the state, 40 schools were closed and more than 80 bus routes were affected after emergency services pre-emptively closed many main roads fearing they would flood.
The State Emergency Services predicted up to 1700 homes would become isolated into Friday around the Seymour, Rochester, Shepparton, Seven Creeks and Mt Emu Creek areas as flood waters continued to rise. Flood levels in Seymour are forecast to reach levels similar to the May 1974 flood, which was the second-biggest in local history.
Emily Street in Seymour has flooded after the latest rain deluge. Residents of the Seymour township have been ordered by Vic Emergency to evacuate. #vicfloodspic.twitter.com/qHQOt7IEQM
— Olivia Condous (@oliviacondous) October 13, 2022
Residents were urged to find refuge in areas above the expected 7m level at 4pm on Thursday as the town braced for the worst of the rainfall to hit in the evening. An evacuation centre was opened last night at the town’s sports and aquatic centre after the Big 4 Holiday Park was ordered to evacuated.
“We’re still trying to get people out, they won’t move,” co-owner Nola Ricketson said of some of the campground’s permanent residents.
The Country Fire Authority tried to pump water out of the property, but the heavy downpour at lunchtime worsened the flooding.
The flooding is expected to extend downstream on the Goulburn River and to reach major high-water marks at Shepparton by Saturday afternoon.
Emergency services predict about 600 properties will be isolated and another 50 homes will be inundated as levels exceed what was seen in October 1993.
In nearby Wangaratta, the King River flooded and roads were closed.
The SES was inundated with more than 1700 calls for assistance on Thursday. More than 20 people had been rescued from floodwaters by 4.15pm.
Originally published as Man dies in Rochester floodwaters, urgent evacuation orders for multiple towns
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