Australia

Victoria flood update: Echuca residents nervously await the peak of the Murray River

Echuca’s tight-knit community raced against time to save the town on Tuesday night. The controversial 2m high wall was built in a last-ditch effort to protect its center from rising water.

But as residents waited nervously for the top of the Murray River, Echuca was cut into pieces, with a 2.5km dirt embankment cutting off one housing pocket.

Rivers continue to swell in the Echuca and Moama rivers, threatening to inundate the area with violent currents from the Goulburn and Campaspe rivers.

Emergency management has ordered the construction of a levee as massive flooding is expected to saturate the border town from Wednesday and river levels could exceed what Echuca experienced during the 1993 floods. .

Echuca Mayor Chrissy Weller said the structure was necessary to protect the town, despite concerns that the “Great Wall” would force people on the other side to fight the rampaging sea alone. .

A spokesman for Emergency Management Victoria warned that the flood crisis was “potentially a once-in-a-thousand-year event”.

“I’m not sugarcoating this. This is serious,” he said.

Residents trapped in pockets of houses on the other side of the embankment told the Herald Sun that they felt “dejected, defenseless, and abandoned.”

Miles Boal, a Moama Street resident who survived the 2011 floods, said he accepted that his home would likely be flooded if the river rose to predicted levels.

“We are protecting ourselves,” he said.

“What can you do? Even when you think you’ve done enough, they predict something else and you’re baffled.”

Prime Minister Daniel Andrews has warned that the crisis is “not over yet” and more rain is expected in the next few days.

“We still have some very serious challenges to face in the next few days,” he said. “There will be more rain. Thousands of people are still living in water-filled houses, others have left their homes and are now cut off from their homes and cannot return.”

Thunderstorms and heavy rain will hit the northern part of the state Wednesday afternoon and will spread further south on Thursday with up to 50mm of precipitation. An additional 50 mm of rain could hit the northeastern part of the state on Friday.

Bureau of Meteorology spokesman Michael Ephron said rainfall was not as intense or widespread as last week, but “such amounts could not only lead to flash flooding, but could also lead to flooding of rivers.” said.

Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp urged people in areas at risk to follow the warnings closely.

“There will be risks in our state after midweek…for unaffected communities, now is an opportunity (to prepare),” he said.

As decontamination begins in many parts of the state, the Australian Defense Force will double the number of boots on the ground from 200 to 400. Two Army Chinook helicopters will also be deployed in flood-affected areas.

Brigadier General Matt Barr said Army personnel will focus on Echuca, Shepperton, Moorupuna, Rochester and Seymour, helping with preparations, moving people and delivering supplies.

Since the flood emergency began in Victoria, SES and emergency services have received 7,000 requests for assistance. His 700 of them were for people in need of rescue from floods.

“Thus, 10% of SES and emergency services jobs are rescuing people in highly preventable situations,” said Commissioner Crisp.

In a scene reminiscent of panic buying when the pandemic began, Shepperton’s Coles quickly put away many essentials like vegetables, eggs and milk on Tuesday.

But acts of kindness were seen throughout the Goulburn Valley on Tuesday, as local businesses provided food and water to flood-affected residents and travelers currently living at the show grounds.

Numruka resident Steve Newham said the thought of more rain was “mind-boggling”.

“This is already devastating. I’m worried about more rain, especially for people just outside the current danger zone,” he said.

Families affected by the flood emergency can send their children to kindergarten free of charge in the 4th trimester. Also, VCE written exams will start next week. Students directly affected by the crisis are automatically provided with derived exam scores.

Currently, 81 schools and 56 early learning centers are closed due to flooding.

Derived scores should be used in special circumstances so that, where some extenuating circumstances affect the student’s exam duration, the final result reflects the expected level of achievement based on the student’s performance over the year. increase.

A hotline was set up daily from 8am to 10:30pm for flood-hit schools and VCE students.

Call 1800 717 588 or email 2022VCE@education.vic.gov.au.

Invisible residents of facilities

The Mickleham Quarantine Facility, which has been repurposed to house flood victims, was scheduled to welcome its first residents on Tuesday night.

On Tuesday afternoon, the center’s management told the Herald Sun newspaper that no one had shown up yet, despite Prime Minister Daniel Andrews saying a “handful” of people had arrived.

We know that a maximum of 10 people were due to arrive.

Andrews said “many others” have expressed interest in moving to the scene.

read Full story here.

Incredible aerial photos show flood damage

The Goulburn River did not reach its predicted 12.2-meter peak, but thousands of homes are still flooded.

About 4,000 homes in Shepperton were affected by the 2022 Victorian Floods.

Displaced residents of Shepperton, Moorupuna and Kiara face the prospect of not being able to return to their homes for days or even weeks as the floodwaters slowly subside.

Please refer to Incredible comparison image here.

first published as Residents of Echuca wait nervously for the top of the Murray River

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Victoria flood update: Echuca residents nervously await the peak of the Murray River

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