‘This is not going away’: Emergency services preparing for potential flood disaster

THIS is the eye-opening map which shows almost an entire state flooded. Fears are growing things will only get worse.

The map which shows how dire the situation is in Victoria. Picture: SES Victoria

THIS is the eye-opening map which shows almost an entire state flooded — and the situation will only get worse with more heavy rain on the way.

Victoria is bracing for further chaos after heavy rain battered the state, with forecasters predicting another widespread drenching next week for eastern Australia.

SES Victoria spokesman Stefan Delatovic said even a small amount of rain could spell disaster for already soaked areas, with some experiencing their biggest rainfalls in a century.

“There’s a lot of water from these rains which started last week,” he told news.com.au. “The rain has eased for now and there will be more rain over the weekend but the main concern is for further rain next week. There’s just nowhere for the water to go.

“Water levels will go down in certain areas but where depends on the coming forecast.”

The map shows the areas most affected by floods in Victoria, taking up much of the state. Picture: Courtesy SES Victoria

Mr Delatovic said with more than 280 road closures, 26 flood warnings across the state — three of which are major — it was vital people took extra care.

The flood chaos could not have come at a worse time for the state with the approach of school holidays.

Mr Delatovic said the worst affected areas were western and central areas of the state.

“Charlton is the main concern for today with the Avoca River due to peak,” he said. “Major warnings are also in place of the Loddon River and the Wimmera River.”

He said there had been 17 rescues over the past week and stressed the importance of people avoiding flood areas at all costs.

“We can’t underestimate how dangerous even a small about of water is,” he said. “Just 15cm is enough to carry a car away, so even if you know the road well, don’t cross.”

Mr Delatovic also urged those going away to check Victoria Roads as well as the SES for ongoing updates.

Meanwhile the search for a missing elderly farmer in flooded Victoria resumed as Charlton braces for a river peak of 7.5 metres later today.

Police hold grave fears for the 84-year-old man, whose ute was swept into a dam by floodwaters in Wallacedale.

Police divers scoured the dam and nearby areas yesterday after the ute was found submerged on Wednesday afternoon. They believe the farmer was not in the car at the time.

The Avoca River is expected to peak just short of the 7.9m peak at the town during the September 2010 flood.

By 6pm last night the river had reached 7.13m and was still rising. Ten homes remained at risk of flooding, Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley said.

Police at the scene in Wallacedale where a local farmer’s ute was swept into a dam by floodwaters.

While rain has eased, Mr Lapsley yesterday warned barely a patch of Victoria was untouched by the drenching the state has received over the past few days.

River, creek and water catchments are swollen to capacity and with more rain forecast next week, emergency services are preparing for potential disaster.

“This is not going away,” he said. “We are calling this the floods of September 2016. We are expecting it to be a significant event.

At least 10 Victorian homes were expected to go under water on Thursday night as flood waters continued to rise. Picture: David Geraghty

“The state is saturated, we’re now seeing most of our rivers in some sort of flood.”

Mr Lapsley said with water at current levels, there were concerns with what impact more rain would have.

“Next week’s weather is concerning. If we get 20mm when we have reservoirs full, dams full and rivers full, that’s a concern,” he said.

“That’s our next problem to face. We are trying to get a good understanding of the weather and the change in the weather pattern that has potential to bring rain with it.”

FOOTAGE BETWEEN LORNE AND APOLLO BAY:

188 roads are closed due to flooding across Victoria.

South Australia and Victoria have borne the brunt of torrential rainfalls over the past few days.

Eighty homes have been flooded and 39 roads remain closed after torrential rain and gale force winds battered the Adelaide Hills, causing millions of dollars in damage.

But Weatherzone meteorologist Ben Domensino told news.com.au more rain was certainly on the way.

CFA volunteers have been sandbagging in Charlton. Picture: Alex Coppel

He said the next systems were a cause for concern.

“A cold front moving across The Bight will hit western Victoria on Saturday,” he said.

While modelling predicts up to 10mm-20mm of rain, Mr Domensino said this would be enough to cause widespread flooding.

“A prediction of 20mm of rain doesn’t sound like much, but the concern is these two systems will add to the waterlogged conditions,” he said.

“While this is good news for soil moisture levels it, certainly has the potential to be dangerous in the short term due to catchments being so full.”

Road closures through Skipton as floodwaters peak. Tonight on @WINNews_Bal #WINNews6PM pic.twitter.com/RmHGXiw69T

— Hannah Jenkins (@hannah_jenkins) September 15, 2016

In South Australia, residents began the clean-up yesterday.

River levels across the Mt Lofty Ranges had peaked, reducing any immediate risk of further flooding, but could be swelled by falls forecast for Saturday and next week.

Some centres in the Adelaide Hills, on the Fleurieu Peninsula and on Kangaroo Island had their wettest September day on record on Wednesday, copping more than 100mm.

That led to flooding across a wide area with the towns of Aldgate, Bridgewater and Hahndorf and Adelaide’s eastern suburbs the hardest hit.

— with AAP