Hundreds rescued from Victoria floods as warnings persist

With dozens of emergency warnings in place across New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, residents of northern Victoria are urged to prepare to evacuate as flood waters begin to seep into already swollen rivers and streams. It is said

Over 350 water rescues across Victoria

Upstate communities are preparing for floods expected to exceed levels seen in 1974.

This means thousands of facilities could be affected by flooding.

Volunteer rescue service SES said widespread and severe flooding in Victoria was likely to reach downstream as far as Shepperton by this afternoon.

Widespread major flooding has occurred along the Goulburn River, already peaking at Seymour and developing at Murchison.

The crew had already been called to rescue 355 people, including 160 in Rochester, where the Campaspe River was at major flood levels.

This Urgent Warning – River Flooding – Move to Higher Ground has been issued for Seymour from Loch Eildon on the Goulburn River. Leaving now is the safest option before the situation becomes too dangerous. More information: https://t.co/2c5zFMJlEn pic.twitter.com/SA68W2bckF

— VICSES News (@vicsesnews) October 14, 2022

Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner, Andrew Crisp, has urged people across the state to stay up to date on the latest emergency alerts throughout the day.

“Since the situation is changing relatively quickly, we need to stay informed about the area so that we can make the right decisions,” says Crisp.

“Don’t go back to the property. [is a] In a “blue flood” scenario, there are indeed blue skies and sunshine, but stay away from these areas as there is a significant risk with respect to the water currently flowing through these river systems. “

SES was out to help those in need.

From suburban Melbourne to rural Victoria, this week’s floods caught residents off guard as homes and properties were inundated.

Many have rushed to salvage what they can and eagerly await what will remain when they are finally allowed to go home.

Floods – Urbert emergency alert. You must evacuate immediately. For more information: https://t.co/mseZJGkKCE #vicfloods

— VICSES News (@vicsesnews) October 14, 2022

The state is already facing a housing crisis, and for some, this natural disaster will feel like the last straw.

In Wangaratta, northeast Victoria, a new emergency alert has been issued telling residents of properties within the Parfitt Road embankment system to leave immediately.

The Ovens River in Wangaratta is 12.8 meters deep.

Meanwhile, in Shepparton and Moorupuna in northern Victoria, residents were told to prepare to evacuate as the floodwaters moved downstream.

In Melbourne, water levels in the Mulliveenon River have dropped significantly overnight, but emergency services say they want to assess the damage before allowing residents to return home.

In West Melbourne, officials believe about 100 homes were flooded yesterday.

Resident Matthew Iozzi was awakened at 4 a.m. by a text from emergency services advised to consider moving out.

Within an hour, police knocked on his door and received another text telling him to evacuate.

“It was pretty shocking because no one in the area thought something like this could happen,” Iozzi said.

When Iozzi checked on her elderly neighbor, she said the river was just around the corner.

“The last few years we’ve had fires, we’ve had Covid, and now we have floods and floods are hitting very close to cities,” he said.

“I’m very proud to be Melburnian, but I’m also trying to get over it.”

Concerns were being raised about whether the area’s controversial flood wall helped or hindered residents along Melbourne’s Maribeenon River as they prepared for a grueling cleanup.

Aerial footage shows Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse, home of next month’s Melbourne Cup, has escaped serious flooding, but outside its walls water flooded surrounding homes.

Local resident and historian Liz Crash said the area around the racetrack was always a floodplain.

She said that when the flood wall was first planned nearly two decades ago, three local councils opposed it over concerns that it would exacerbate flood risk in the area.

“This has always been a big concern for the community,” Crash says.

NSW SES continues operations in southern and western New South Wales

In the last 24 hours, NSW SES has received 213 requests for assistance and conducted 7 flood rescues, animal rescues and medical evacuations for people trapped in cars across NSW.

https://t.co/vkJLJymK1F
#Forbes Shire Council pic.twitter.com/XPZBHxGMRT

— NSW SES (@NSWSES) October 14, 2022

Victorian-era man dies in Rochester floods

Victorian authorities have reported the state’s first flood death toll after a man died in Rochester in the north of the state.

Police said the man was found dead in the floodwaters in the backyard of his High Street home around 9:30 a.m. local time today.

SES crews are dispatched to the scene and police attempt to enter the premises, but are blocked by floodwaters.

The exact circumstances of his death are still under investigation.

Lille in other states

Flood warnings were also in effect for parts of northern Tasmania and southern New South Wales on Saturday morning.

63 flood warnings were issued in New South Wales on Saturday morning, 9 of which were at critical level.

SES NSW has received 213 calls for help in the last 24 hours and rescued seven people trapped in their vehicles in the flood waters.

Some residents of Gunnedah, Wee Wah and Warren are still isolated by the floods.

Although sunny skies persisted in some areas, SES said the threat of flooding remained as water was still flowing downstream.

Flood waters were slowly receding in northern Tasmania, but an emergency alert remained in the area on Saturday morning, leaving residents feeling uneasy until they felt safe.

The Meander River remained at Emergency Alert Level, while the Emergency Flood Warning for Tasmania’s Mersey River was downgraded to Observation and Action.

–ABC