Bushfire-hit Victorian areas now bracing for a deluge

Parts of East Gippsland - hit so hard by Black Summer bushfires - recorded up to 186mm of rain in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, with more on the way.

Victorians in some areas hardest hit by the Black Summer bushfires were bracing themselves for rising floodwaters late on Sunday.

Parts of East Gippsland recorded up to 186mm of rain in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, with severe weather warnings issued for continued heavy rain and damaging winds, prompting fears of major and flash flooding, as well as landslides.

Victoria’s emergency services authority issued “watch and act” warnings for communities near the Cann, Buchan, Bemm, Genoa and Tambo rivers, as well as the Snowy River downstream of McKillops Bridge, and the Mitchell River to Glanaladale.

Residents were urged to move to higher ground as a precaution.

Towns in the affected areas include Bairnsdale, Lakes Entrance, Buchan, Orbost, Cann River and Mallacoota.

SES incident controller Diana Batley said while the flooding was not expected to reach the extent of what had been occurring in northern NSW, it could still be dangerous.

“Keep an eye on the weather forecast and the river levels online,” Ms Batley told ABC radio.

Pictures of flooded farmland near Mossiface, East Gippsland.

“If the floodwaters are dangerous, please never drive in floodwaters. Decide if you will evacuate, and ensure you do have family members and neighbours that are aware of your situation.”

Federal member for Gippsland Darren Chester said floodwaters had caused multiple road closures east of Bairnsdale, telling The Australian there was “a foot of water” across the road in front of his house in Lakes Entrance.

“At the moment, it’s having more of an impact on very remote areas than on any major towns, but it is still raining,” he said.

“We might be lucky in terms of its impact on people, but it’s likely there will be significant ­damage to road and bridge infrastructure.”

Mallacoota resident Mariska Ascher said the wind was “starting to pick up” late on Sunday afternoon.

“We’ve had a hell of a lot of rain - something like 120mm in 24 hours,” she said.

Residents of low-lying Lakeside Drive in Mallacoota were being warned to monitor water levels for access issues.

“Our house is up higher, so we’ll be OK, but if anyone’s going to have a problem it’ll be the foreshore,” Ms Ascher said.

More than 120 structures were lost in Mallacoota during the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20, including at least 100 homes.