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Flood evacuations reach northern Victoria, with Tasmania on high alert, as NSW begins clean-up - ABC News

As a muddy clean-up begins in parts of Melbourne and New South Wales, flooding continues to inundate communities in Victoria's north where evacuation orders remain in place and residents in Tasmania's north remain on alert.

On Saturday, thousands of people in parts of Shepparton and Echuca left their homes as some river levels rose higher than the January 2011 floods, sending torrents of water into townships, homes, and businesses.

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Victoria

Tragedy struck Victoria's north on Saturday morning when a 71-year-old man was found dead in floodwaters in his backyard at Rochester.

It was the first death recorded during the current flood crisis.

While water levels in parts of the state began to recede, in others, the flooding was only getting worse.

A man in a red shift talks on the phone while standing in a flooded road.
Flooding in Rochester has peaked and people are beginning to learn the extent of the damage.(ABC News)

Evacuation orders were made on Saturday afternoon for parts of Shepparton, Mooroopna, Echuca, and Echuca Village as the Goulburn River and Campaspe River crept towards major flood levels. 

At 6:30pm, the Midland Highway, also known as the Mooroopna Causeway,  connecting Shepparton and Mooroopna was closed as flooding higher than the January 2011 foods hit the area.

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Play Video. Duration: 1 minute 32 seconds
Aerial vision shows the extent of flooding in the town centre of Rochester, in rural Victoria on Saturday.

For Shepparton residents, it became too late to leave. But peak flooding in and around the town was not expected until Tuesday.

Major flooding also hit Kialla West in Greater Shepparton on Saturday night, with the Sevens and Castle Creeks expected to reach 7.2 metres by Sunday morning.

Dozens of people fill sand bags on the side of the road.
Volunteers in Shepparton fill sandbags on Saturday afternoon.(ABC News: Warwick Long)

In Echuca, also in the state's north, residents were urged to prepare to be away from home for more than a week.

Communities in Charlton and parts of Wangaratta were told to evacuate on Saturday morning, and Charlton and Mooroopna residents were warned power may be lost if water reached the towns' substations.

Sandbags line a path next to a muddy river.
The Campaspe River in Echuca was expected to flood houses on Saturday night. (ABC News: Sarah Lawrence)

The Loddon River was expected to reach the levels of the devastating 2011 floods from Sunday onwards.

The floodwaters were expected to stay above major levels for three to five days.

By Saturday afternoon, at least 500 homes had been flooded and 3,000 families had applied for emergency payments.

Residents in Murchison, along the Goulburn River, and in Melbourne returned home to inch-thick mud covering their floors and furniture to begin the clean up.

A line of full sandbags on a road with members of the defense force standing behind them and a man in carrying one.
The worst is yet to come for towns in regional Victoria like Shepparton.(ABC News)

Tasmania

Rivers peaked on Saturday in north-west Tasmania, but were yet to reach full height in the state's northern river catchments.

The river systems of the North Esk and South Esk were expected to peak by Sunday afternoon.

A prepare to evacuate warning was issued for the South Esk River on Saturday evening, with Tasmania SES warning locations between South Esk Drive and the river, and between Bartley Street and the river in Hadspen were likely to be affected. 

A room is water and mud all over the floor, with a broom leaning up against the wall.
Residents at Latrobe, in Tasmania's north-west, have started assessing the damage from the floods. (ABC News: Lucy Macdonald)

An emergency warning to avoid flooded areas remained current for surrounding areas and flood watch and act messages are current for 10 waterways, including the River Ouse, the Macquarie River and the South Esk River.

An emergency warning to avoid flooded areas was current on Saturday night for areas surrounding the Meander River.

Acting Premier Michael Ferguson said authorities would closely monitor the North Esk and South Esk river systems over the next day.

A boat is seen half-submerged in brown water next to a pontoon.
A pontoon was dislodged and hit a boat on the Tamar River near Seaport in Launceston on Saturday.(ABC News: Damian McIntyre)

The rivers feed into the Tamar River, which is subject to tidal fluctuations.

Mr Ferguson said high tides were expected at 6am and 6pm on Sunday.

New South Wales

On Saturday evening in southern New South Wales, the SES began directing people in parts of Narrandera South to evacuate before 8:00pm.

The Lachlan River at Forbes in the Central West region of NSW, peaked at 10.56 metres on Friday night and fell to moderate levels on Saturday afternoon.

aerial view of a floodwaters encroaching homes
Forbes was subject to an evacuation order when the Lachlan River peaked on Friday. (ABC Central West: Hugh Hogan)

Despite the drop, evacuation orders remained in place with aircraft dropping supplies to properties cut-off by floodwaters.

Six evacuation orders were in place affecting roughly 500 residents.

Horses being led out of floodwater by SES volunteers in high viz
SES members rescued and relocated horses before floodwaters peaked at Forbes on Friday. .(Supplied: NSW SES)

Rescue crews continued to search for missing man Phillip Alvaro.

The 63-year-old left a rural property on Lachlan Valley Way at Hillston at midday on Tuesday and had not been seen since.

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Play Video. Duration: 1 minute 42 seconds
Forbes township escapes major flooding but farmers suffer

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2022-10-15 12:59:29Z
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