The flood crisis in northern Victoria continues to worsen, with hundreds of homes submerged and dozens of people rescued from rising waters.
Emergency officials have ordered residents of Charlton and Echuca to evacuate their homes immediately.
The people of Shepperton, Oval, Martinson and Moorupuna are said to be too late to leave, with more than 600 homes and businesses flooded statewide.
According to the Victorian Emergency Service (SES), there have been 103 flood rescues in the past 24 hours, most of them in the Shepperton area.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Bendigo with Prime Minister Daniel Andrews.
“This is a very serious weather phenomenon that is not only affecting urban communities, but also all of Victoria, especially the northern and northwestern communities,” Albanese told ABC radio on Sunday. .
“We will work with the Andrews government to ensure people get the help they need during this difficult time.”
Australian Defense Force personnel are helping authorities evacuate residents, and an evacuation center will be opened at the Commonwealth facility, Mickleham.
Echuca is expected to experience two peaks of flooding, including one by Tuesday and another later in the week.
Officials predicted that about 200 Echuca homes would be affected by the floods.
Residents have been advised to prepare to vacate their homes for 7-10 days, and Echuca Village is expected to experience impacts from the Goulburn and Murray Rivers by the middle of next week.
“If you haven’t evacuated, you should evacuate to as high a place as possible,” SES said.
Axedale motorway bridge east of Bendigo was damaged by flooding from the Campaspe River. sauce: AAP / Diego Fedele
The Midland Highway, also known as the Mooroopuna Causeway, was scheduled to close on Sunday afternoon, but was closed Saturday night between Mooroopuna and Shepperton.
The Goulburn River in Shepperton was expected to rise above major flood levels of 11 meters overnight and peak at over 12 meters by Sunday evening, a record level.
SES chief operations officer Tim Wiebush said people may be underestimating the danger as the weather improves.
“One of the challenges is that we don’t have what we call blue sky floods,” he told ABC News.
“The rain has stopped…I think it will be more obvious to people when it rains more heavily.”
Weebush urged people not to drive through the floodwaters.
“It just connects our emergency services that may support more vulnerable communities under the pressure of these floods,” he said.
The Goulburn River in Shepperton was expected to rise above major flood levels of 11 meters overnight and peak at over 12 meters by Sunday evening, a record level.
More rain on the NSW coast
More rain is likely to hit the NSW coast as people living in already saturated catchments prepare to channel more water to flood-hit communities.
The Bureau of Meteorology said showers and storms could hit the East Coast on Sunday night, but inland areas that received most of the recent rainfall were expected to escape further heavy flooding.
But another storm system developed in central Australia on Tuesday and was forecast to bring widespread rain and thunderstorms to the eastern states by the middle of next week.
On Saturday night, State Emergency Services told some residents of Narrandera, along the Murrumbidgee River in the Riverina region, to evacuate due to moderate flooding.
Shelters were set up in border towns, and people in Moama tourist sites and caravan parks were asked to prepare to leave.
Homes in Forbes, New South Wales have been flooded. sauce: AAP / Stuart Walmsley/AAPIMAGE
Heavy rains in Victoria are expected to affect towns along the Murray River, including Moama, from mid-week.
Major flood warnings were issued for 11 rivers in New South Wales on Sunday morning, and flooding could return to some areas, despite a brief stoppage of rain.
Thousands of residents of Forbes in the state’s central-western region were affected by flooding after the Lachlan River peaked Friday night.
NSW SES Southern Zone Commander Benjamin Pickup said on Saturday that considerable rainfall in western NSW over the past few weeks could cause rivers to swell quickly even in good weather.
