Echuca evacuation warning as residents rally to build ‘Great Wall of Echuca’

Vic Emergency issued an emergency evacuation warning for parts of Echuca and Echuca Village around 11:30 pm on Tuesday, saying those who stayed behind risk being isolated for days without the help of emergency services. said.

Particular emphasis was placed on people living near the Kampaspe River, which peaks on Sunday.

Dubbed by locals as the Great Wall of Echuca, the embankment is made up of tons of earth and is nearly 3 kilometers long and 2 meters high.

The Bureau of Meteorology expects the Murray River to exceed a major flood level of 94.4 meters above sea level on Thursday and could reach 95 meters on Friday.

About 34,000 homes are at risk statewide, with thousands flooded or stranded in Shepperton.

More than 50 warnings were still issued statewide on Tuesday night. Twelve of them were emergency alerts and included evacuation orders to Bama, Lower His Moira, Bumbartha, Kaalimba, Mundona and Zeerast.

A new emergency alert was issued at noon asking residents of Rochester to move to higher ground.

From Loddon Weir to Kerang, people were advised on Tuesday that they could be quarantined for at least a week if they do not evacuate the area.

“Boort is expected to be quarantined for up to a week, similar to the 2011 floods,” said Vic Emergency.

“We expect two more peaks in Appin South. Water levels are expected to be higher than expected in Kerang, but we will stay under the dike. We recommend that you do so as soon as possible.

“If you choose to stay, you should be self-sufficient during the quarantine period.

“Leaving now is the safest option before the situation becomes too dangerous.”

Since the event started, there have been over 700 flood reliefs and over 7000 calls for help.

Rochester residents have been warned that the town’s sewer system has been damaged by flooding and repairs could take up to eight weeks.

In the 24 hours through Tuesday, SES has implemented 130 flood reliefs and forecasts that some rivers, such as Goulburn, will remain at major flood levels through at least Friday.

The site can be expanded to 500 beds.

Victorian Prime Minister Daniel Andrews said there were “only a handful” of flood victims at the Mickleham quarantine facility north of Melbourne.

“There are already four people there,” said Andrews.

“There are many other people who have expressed an interest in moving there.

“I think as time goes on, more and more people will probably deal with the practical reality of not being able to go home for a while.”

In a desperate rush to save Echuca, the house was deemed ‘unsalvable’

More heavy rain is expected in the next few days as a low pressure system moves over the East Coast.

The heaviest rain is expected on Sunday.

Echuca is gearing up for a second flood peak, with the Murray River already flooding heavily.

“River levels at Echuca Pier could reach levels higher than the 1993 flood (94.77 meters) from Friday,” the agency warned.

“As this floodwater moves downstream, river levels will rise and significant flooding is expected in Trumbury and Barham.”

Locals worked overnight on Monday to build a 2.5-kilometer clay embankment and walls of sandbags lining the streets.

The town is surrounded by three rivers: the Murray, Goulburn and Campaspe rivers.

“Kampazpe and Goulburn are already bankrupt,” Stakowski said.

“Campaspe has started to subside slightly, but Murray is a looming threat.”

Kellan could be quarantined for two weeks

Victoria’s emergency commissioner, Andrew Crisp, told reporters the Kerrang community could remain in quarantine for several weeks.

“We know the community may be quarantined for a week or two,” he said.

Kerrang is located on the Loddon River in northern Victoria.

Residents were told today to decide whether to leave or stay as meat is being removed from the shelves at the local Woolworths.

The township was blocked by the 2011 floods, but is expected to return.

Evacuation orders remain for parts of Shepperton

Shepperton is still in the water and in some areas stranded due to flooding, Vic Emergency warns it’s too late to leave the area.

While parts of Shepperton were unaffected by the floods, many residents lost everything.

Hundreds of people are camping at the Shepperton Showgrounds Relief Center at capacity.

Andrews announced a $351 million flood recovery package to help rebuild the state.

Of this, $165 million will go to road repairs. Hundreds of roads have their concrete ripped from the ground by violent floods.

Andrews said Monday that 359 roads have been closed across the state due to damage or flooding, and crews have already responded to 10,000 potholes and 20 landslides since flooding began late last week. .

“It will be a big job to repair and reopen hundreds of roads, so we are calling in reinforcements,” he said.

“As part of a massive emergency road repair blitzkrieg, Big Build project workers are heading across the state.

“Find potholes in roads, fix them, and completely rebuild roads and bridges.

“Reopening these roads is critical for returning home after evacuations and carrying cargo moving across the state.”

Floods ‘likely to push up cost of living’

Also on Monday, treasurer Jim Chalmers warned that the floods would put further pressure on food prices and strain Australia’s budget.

“I think we need to be prepared for the impact these natural disasters will have on our cost of living. Here we are talking about some of Australia’s fastest growing and producing countries,” he said, adding that it will affect the budget. , which is set to be passed next Tuesday.

“These could push up the cost of living for Australians when they are already under the pump.”

The warning comes at a time when New South Wales and Tasmania are also grappling with their own floods.

ADF has been called to help flood victims in New South Wales.

A total of 180 personnel were to be deployed to communities at risk, particularly in the western regions of New South Wales.

The fire brigade’s main focus is the Moama region across the border from Echuca, where RFS has established two base camps that can accommodate 550 people.

Although the threat of flooding has subsided in Tasmania, the agency has issued several flood warnings.