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Thunderstorms hit Victoria, as towns in the state's north brace for further flooding - ABC News

Victorians are being warned thunderstorms sweeping the state this weekend could exacerbate floods as a number of swollen rivers take on more water.

Communities in central and northern parts of the state have been on tenterhooks for days, as gradually rising rivers from rain a week ago slowly swallow homes and businesses.

Conditions are expected to worsen after storms and heavy rain returned to parts of the state overnight, with the west seeing the largest rainfall totals.

She Oaks, between Geelong and Ballarat, recorded 78.2 millimetres of rain in just six hours — with more than half of that recorded in less than an hour.

Floodwaters.
Waters have been creeping gradually higher in Echuca but have already submerged parts of the town.(ABC News: Iskhandar Razak)

The State Emergency Service (SES) received 331 calls for assistance in the 24 hours to 6am on Saturday. About 100 of those calls were for flash flooding, predominantly in Geelong and Hamilton in the south-west of the state.

SES chief operations officer Tim Wiebusch said his organisation was prepared for storm activity to cross the state over the weekend.

"We're likely to see flash flooding in some parts of the state yet again," he said on Friday.

sandbags along the ground in front of shops
In Echuca, residents have rallied to prepare as the Murray River rises.(ABC News: Iskhandar Razak)

The storms are now moving to other parts of the state.

"As we head into Saturday afternoon, we see that [storm] activity starting to contract to eastern parts of the state, but then redeveloping over north-western Victoria," forecaster Michael Efron said.

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He said on Sunday, most of the state would have "settled" conditions, though there could still be storms in the north. 

"On Monday, it does look like another rain bearing system moves down from NSW, potentially producing more of that widespread rainfall."

"So thunderstorm risk in the short term and then rain again early next week."

Major flood levels for Echuca, with water then flowing to other towns

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The twin Murray River towns of Echuca and Moama are bracing for the effects of more rain.

In Echuca in Victoria's north, the Murray River is expected to reach major flood levels of around 94.8 metres on Saturday.

On the NSW side of the river, the twin town of Moama is expected to receive similar levels.

a large flood pump with SES workers nearby.
Emergency services are using water pumps to try to protect Echuca in Victoria's north.(ABC News: Iskhandar Razak)

Emergency services have advised that the river may peak at about 95 metres overnight on Sunday and into Monday.

It is then expected to stay about that major level for days, before affecting Swan Hill towards the end of the month and continuing on to other townships.

Echuca has been spending the week recovering from the nearby Campaspe River busting its banks a week ago, while preparing for the Murray and Goulburn River's peaks.

Mr Wiebusch said by Saturday morning 195,000 sandbags had been used across the town.

"We're hopeful that good work will protect a range of properties, particularly with an additional levee wall that has been put into place for parts of Echuca," he said.

Chrissy Weller, Mayor of the Campaspe Shire which takes in Echuca, said it had been "all hands on deck".

"We're really at the mercy of it [the water] coming down the river," she told ABC Central Victoria.

Rain could cause further water rises in northern Victorian towns

The Loddon River has reached major flood levels in the town of Kerang, about halfway between Echuca and Swan Hill, at about 78 metres.

volunteers build a wall of sand bags.
The Kerang SES has been preparing for the Loddon River to flood.(Facebook: Kerang SES)

The town has been cut off by floodwaters and residents have been told they will be isolated for more than a week.

Mr Weibusch said rain associated with the storms may also affect Kerang. He said even though water levels are expected to be similar to floods in 2011, the town's power station is expected to stay dry thanks to the levee around it.

In the town of Rochester, where a man was found dead in floodwaters last week, the Campaspe River is expected to remain below the minor flood level.

"That will continue to be that way over the next few days, but if we do see some of this storm activity continue to fall over the Campaspe catchment…we could see renewed moderate flooding," Mr Weibusch said.

'There is a lot of support available'

Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes said 22,000 applications had been lodged in Victoria for immediate flood emergency payments. 

a sign on a window that says "we are closed due to the flood"
Businesses in flood impacted communities have been hit hard.(ABC News: Iskhandar Razak)

Both the state and federal governments have made emergency payments available to those affected by the floods.

"There is a lot of support available, the best place to get advice on what is best for you is the 1800 560 760 number. You can be directed to all the support… they'll make sure you know where to go," Ms Symes said.

Ms Symes said she believes all the local government areas affected by flooding should now be on the eligibility list for funding.

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2022-10-21 20:37:08Z
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