Australia

Echuca brace for double flood peaks to start the week

“We expect the flood peak to be about 95 meters above the main flood level. Again, a similar amount of facilities would be threatened by major flood levels for at least three to four days. I expect it will.”

Colin Makin, whose house faces the river, said the water level rose one meter within 24 hours. In the riverside park opposite his house, the children’s playground was almost completely submerged, leaving only the yellow plastic top of the slide visible.

CFA, Army and Air Force crews have assisted in the giant sandbag effort.credit:Erin Jonathon

Echuca is the closest town to the confluence of the Campazpe, Goulburn and Murray rivers.

There is growing concern in the town that the Goulburn River will bring floodwaters from Shepperton and Moorupuna after the Kampaspe flooding peaks.

The flood then flows into the Murray River, meandering around Echuca and being fed by two other rivers.

Graeme Glanville worked overnight to save his home in Echuca.

Graeme Glanville worked overnight to save his home in Echuca.credit:Bianca Hall

On Ogilvie Avenue, part of the Murray Valley Highway, residents made a superhuman effort to save their homes as the swollen Kampaspe River rushed downstream and swept sideways.

The highway was closed, a high earthen embankment was built along one side of the road, and houses on the other side of the road returned water from the river’s broken embankment, effectively dividing Echuca in two. I was.

On the embankment side, the houses were in one meter of water.

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Graeme Granville’s house and the river are usually separated by a road. On Sunday, the road was a line in the sand that residents were determined to hold.

Granville and his neighbors began laying sandbags on the side of the road a week ago. On Saturday night, he worked all night to strengthen the defenses of his house and those of his neighbors.

When he got ready for bed at about 6:30 am and entered the house, he saw that water had begun to flow around the back of the house, around the sandbag defenses. “At the time, the water was running very little,” he said.

He borrowed a pump and within minutes the pump was covered with water. A second pump carried water over sandbags and back into the swollen river system to hold the line. for now.

In the 2011 flood that hit Echuca, the highest water level of the Campaspe River was 92.85 meters. But Murray is taller than he was in 2011, making locals uneasy.

“It’s definitely a lot higher than last time, and it’s still rising,” said Greg Southern, whose backyard and storeroom were flooded Sunday. ‘s house was left dry.

“this [flooding] It’s the Campaspe effect, and they’re saying Goulburn dips midweek,’ he said. handle it.”

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Echuca brace for double flood peaks to start the week

Source link Echuca brace for double flood peaks to start the week

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