Dramatic car roof rescue as Gippsland floodwaters worsen
Emergency crews were forced to rescue two people trapped on the roof of their car in Bairnsdale overnight after they attempted to drive through floodwaters.
Emergency crews were forced to rescue two people trapped on the roof of their car in Bairnsdale overnight after they attempted to drive through floodwaters.
The pair were trapped for over an hour after they made the call for help in the early hours of Friday morning.
SES crews, with assistance from police, managed to safely rescue the two, who were unharmed.
Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent said communities could expect flood waters to recede in the coming hours and days after parts of the state recorded up to 250mm of rain this week.
“There are still some risks out there with the floods and some water out there in a number of areas including Sale, so we’ll continue to do the work but it is easing for the most part,” he said on Friday.
“A couple of (areas) still need to peak but the rain largely has moved on.”
SES deputy chief officer David Baker said the drier conditions over coming days would ease the flood threat for most of the state.
“Luckily for us, there’s no more water coming into the system, which is great, the big tap in the sky is turned off and we’re really grateful for that,” he said.
“What’s currently in the river systems will wash itself through and we’ll see the floodwaters recede.”
Mr Baker said major rivers in East Gippsland would peak on Friday afternoon, if they hadn’t already, and locals could expect a reprieve.
“The Mitchell River peaked at around 6.51m earlier this morning and is receding, its current level is about 6.47m,” he added.
“The Thomson River will peak, and in good news, is expected to peak at a moderate level at 3.7m, rather than the initial expected major flood level of 4m, so that’s great news for the local community in Sale.
“There is still the potential for homes in the Sale area to be isolated as a result … We doorknocked 120 properties and those residents are fully aware of the potential impact.”
Sale braces for flood peak, homes expected to go under
Homes are also expected to be flooded in Sale with waters forecast to peak by early afternoon Friday.
Premier Jacinta Allan on Friday said emergency services were braced for homes to go under in the city.
“We expect there will be some homes inundated,” Ms Allan told ABC Radio National on Friday.
“In terms of the actual number of properties inundated that is yet to be fully assessed given the flood waters are still rising.
“It has been a challenging week … Just a couple of days ago on Tuesday I was briefed by our emergency management commissioner on the fire situation that was moving through the state particularly in Gippsland and now in the past two days it has been the focus of the flood effort.”
Port of Sale Heritage Cruises owner Alan Lewis said the boat owners at the port have been out “getting their boats ready” for the rising levels.
“We’ve got experience dealing with this,” he told the Herald Sun.
“Most of the boat owners did their preparation because if you don’t start loosening your lines your boat will go under and that might be happening to some boats but there are enough people watching the area”.
An evacuation order for the Port of Sale area remains in place Friday with emergency services advising residents it is not safe to return.
Thousands of Victorians told to evacuate amid floods
Thousands of Victorians across the Gippsland region have been told to evacuate under emergency orders just days after fire tore through the area.
Three emergency warnings calling on locals to evacuate were in place on Thursday morning after some parts of the state recorded well over 100mm of rain in 36 hours.
The SES warned of major flooding at the Sale Wharf overnight Thursday into Friday morning, with the Thompson River predicted to reach the major flood level of four metres.
It was recommended by the SES that everyone in the area act immediately and move to higher ground.
Emergency services on Thursday warned that about 130 properties could flood in Newry, Tinamba and Tinamba West.
An emergency warning was issued for Tinamba, Tinamba West and Newry in East Gippsland on Thursday afternoon as water continued to be released from Lake Glenmaggie, about 200km east of Melbourne.
SES crews spent much of Wednesday night and early Thursday morning doorknocking the area, calling on locals to evacuate before it became too late.
“An evacuation warning remains current. It is still not safe to return,” the alert said.
“The release of water from Lake Glenmaggie is continuing.
“It is not safe for people to return to Tinamba, Tinamba West and Newry. If you have not evacuated, you should now shelter in the highest location possible.”
A relief centre has again been established at the Gippsland Regional Sports Complex, 116 Cobains Road in Sale, after it was used by those fleeing bushfires.
A separate emergency warning was issued for the Macalister River downstream of Lake Glenmaggie, with the river measured at 6.87m, above the major flood level.
The third emergency warning was issued for the Wonnangatta River in the state’s high country with major flooding occurring.
Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Helen Reid said towns downstream of swollen rivers and catchment areas were in the firing line.
“We’ve seen a lot of rain in the last 24 to 36 hour period but we are seeing an ease off now, as it moves out to sea,” she said.
“A lot of the warnings are for areas downstream of flooded rivers and catchments, some may not have had that much rain but are still experiencing flooding as a result.
“Watch all of the rivers carefully, even though the rain may have stopped, there’s still water trying to get downstream to the sea.”
From 9am Wednesday, the Bureau recorded 74mm of rain in Mallacoota, 43mm in Briagolong, 38mm in Glenaladale and 57mm at Mt Nowa Nowa.
In the 24 hours prior to that, Stratford had recorded 104mm, East Sale 100mm, Briagolong 102mm and Bairnsdale 50mm of rain.
The SES also received 234 calls for help in the last 24 hours, with 102 of those calls for fallen trees, 60 for flood assistance and 33 for building damage.
The flood threat comes just days after a 17,500 hectare bushfire wiped out bushland near Briagolong and another near Loch Sport, threatening homes and lives before the downpour ended that threat.
Tinamba residents wake to flooding
Tinamba residents woke to “water everywhere” by 7am on Thursday, trapping them inside their homes for most of Thursday morning.
An evacuation message went out on Wednesday afternoon but it wasn’t until Thursday morning that water levels rose.
Tinamba resident Simone Bradley-Smith held a can in her hand as she stood behind a homemade levee her family had built overnight to successfully keep out the water.
After only returning home from a holiday yesterday at 5.30pm she said they all got to work protecting the house.
“My son and his friends were sandbagging and they work for an earth moving company so they offered their machines and started building the levee in the dark,” she said.
“A farmer down the road came and added to it as the water rose”.
Despite water making its way into the shed Ms Bradley-Smith said the levee “did the job keeping the house safe”.
Her son, Riley Davis, had helped fight fires in Gippsland only days before and was now “fighting floods” outside his home.
Residents were woken by alarms in the town about 4.30am warning them about the looming rain.
The levee bank around the town broke soon after, with one local quickly driving to the scene with a digger to fix what he could.
Dirk Schmid said the town had started flooding about 7am.
“It was funny at 5.30am there was no water at all they were saying 7pm last night then 10pm but the water came about 7am,” he said.
“My wife got up at six and there was no water but then it came up after that.
“Everything looks so different when there’s water on the road.
He described the last few days as “surreal” with bushfire and flood warnings.
“Three days ago the whole sky was orange you could smell the smoke, it was really thick,” he said.
Dan Wright, the owner of Irregear Tinamba, said the whole town “pitched in” with sandbagging on Wednesday night.
“Everyone got involved and really helped each other out,” he said
“Most people stuck around mainly because we have work to do”.
Mr Wright had pinned a tea bag to the waters edge so he could see when the water levels would drop.
Leaders warn flood threat remains
Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said just because the rain was slowing, it did not mean the threat was gone.
“Just because it’s not falling from the sky, doesn’t mean the water is not causing threats around the state,” she said.
“We’ve had no injuries and no rescues overnight, and in Sale there were nine people that accessed the relief centre.
“We’re also keeping a close eye on Wangaratta.
“We’ll keep a close eye on the waters there as they move around as a result of the rainfall.”
Ms Symes said agricultural damage was anticipated, but support would continue to show up on ground in the affected communities.
East Gippsland MP Tim Bull also urged Melburnians to flock to the regions after the floods and fires have subsided.
As the region wrestles with natural disasters on all fronts, including evacuation orders for thousands of residents, Mr Bull said the best way to support the area was to visit and boost the local economy once the danger had passed.
“So many times when we hear about fire in the landscape or floods in the landscape, people avoid the area,” he said.
“Both of these will be gone by the weekend – we’ve got a beautiful weekend forecast, come up to East Gippsland and enjoy it.”
He also slammed the lack of planned burning ahead of the fire season and said the government was “ignoring its recommendations” from the Royal Commission.
“They’re not even burning half of what those pre-eminent bushfire experts advise them on, and then they will see the consequences on the ground.
“There’s no doubt that a warming climate is a factor with this, there is no doubt about that.
“The major issue though, which people fail to see or some people fail to seem to want to recognise, is that fuel loads have been allowed to build up to massive levels.
“It’s just isn’t another outcome of putting climate warming to the side – there is no other outcome that will be achieved at the end of the day, and if you happen to dodge a bullet this year, through lack or lack of lightning strikes or rainfall at the right time, it will be next year because the fuel loads continue to build gradually.
“And that is what we need to address.”
South Gippsland MP Danny O’Brien also said the Gippsland community was a “resilient bunch” but “sometimes … it’s a bit too much to take”.
“It’s extraordinary, fires literally one day, floods the next,” he said.
“Please stay out of the floodwaters, please don’t try and drive through the flood waters,” Mr O’Brien said.
Jacinta Allan on Thursday said emergency services had informed the government that multiple homes were expected to be flooded but rising waters had delays assessments.
“We do need to wait for the situation stabilise so they can get in and assess the level of inundation on homes and properties,” she said.
“Further rain came through overnight and with the floodwaters that are going through the communities in that in that Newry and Tinamba part of the world.
“Floodwaters are expected to peak around midday today, so there is still some water level rising happening in that area.”
The Premier said payments for those experiencing hardship were now available.
“The payments have been activated and I encourage people to reach out through the relief centre in Sale if they need support,” she said.
Minister for Water Harriet Shing has said the high rainfall has been “really triggering” for locals who are already fatigued from previous natural disasters.
“The alert system in place – the advice and the information that is provided – will change and often change very quickly,” Ms Shing said.
“I would urge people to install and stay across updates on the page emergency app and to monitor these issues as they change.”
She thanked the efforts of emergency services and volunteers working to make the region safe again.
Originally published as Dramatic car roof rescue as Gippsland floodwaters worsen
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