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Victoria floods: Thousands displaced ahead of river peaks

by scceu0323

More than 34,000 homes could be inundated or isolated by floodwaters in Victoria, as the federal government warns the disaster will impact the upcoming budget and drive up living costs.
The Victorian government on Monday announced a $351 million flood recovery package to help communities start the clean-up, as the disaster continues to unfold across the state.
The disaster funding includes $165 million in emergency road fixes such as filling potholes and repairing surfaces to get people and freight moving.
“This is an initial amount of money and it will underpin those emergency repairs,” Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters in Melbourne.

In the coming days, more rain is forecast and the flood situation is expected to go on for four to six weeks across the north of Victoria.

SES personnel carry a child through floodwaters

SES personnel have been helping to evacuate families from towns like Shepparton that have been hit hard by flooding. Source: AAP / Diego Fedele

Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said modelling indicated more than 9,000 homes were inundated in Victoria’s north and about 34,000 homes across the state could be inundated or isolated.

“It’s quite likely we’ll see a flood peak happen and waters recede, followed by another peak as different river systems come together,” he told ABC TV on Monday.
The Goulburn River at Shepparton has risen overnight to 12.05 metres, with major flooding expected on Monday morning at 12.1 metres.
That is higher than the 1974 flood level of 12.09 metres, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

Images show buildings in the middle of town surrounded by a vast inland sea of brown muddy water and residents using sandbags to protect properties.

Mr Crisp said 56 requests for rescues were made overnight in Mooroopna and Shepparton.
Hundreds of homes in the area have been flooded along with another 800 to 900 homes in Rochester, where a 71-year-old man was found dead in the backyard of his home on Saturday.
Floodwaters have receded , where police confirmed an unoccupied house was looted on Monday morning.
It is believed a man wearing high-vis and a face covering entered the flood-hit home and stole items, before fleeing in a car with another two men waiting inside.

Melbourne Water has been directed to carry out a review of Flemington Racecourse’s levee wall to determine whether it contributed to the flooding of properties in Maribyrnong and Kensington.

Floodwater pools next to a racecourse wall

There are suspicions the levee wall at Flemington Racecourse may have contributed to the flooding of homes and businesses in surrounding areas. Source: Facebook / Ellen Sandell

The Loddon River at Kerang is expected to peak on Tuesday and into Wednesday, with levels similar to the record-breaking January 2011 floods.

A warning has also been issued for the Wimmera River, with Horsham residents warned major flooding is possible on Monday and into Tuesday.
The Campaspe River at Barnadown, Rochester Town and Echuca peaked on Monday morning with major flooding occurring – higher than in 2011.
The Victorian State Emergency Service has received more than 4,750 calls for help, including more than 500 flood rescue requests, since Wednesday when heavy rainfall lashed the state.
Disaster recovery payments have been made available to residents in 23 local government areas and a 250-bed camp will open at the .
Australian Defence Force personnel prepare sandbags

Members of the Australian Defence Force have been helping with the flood efforts. Source: AAP / (AAP Image/Diego Fedele)

About 100 ADF personnel have been deployed to help with evacuations and sandbagging.

Dozens of schools were closed across the state on Monday, including almost 50 in the northeast, almost 30 in the northwest and seven in the southwest. Early childhood services were also closed.

The Victorian health department has warned of the increased risk of bacterial outbreaks such as leptospirosis, which is caused when people come into contact with the urine of infected animals and can occur after flooding events.

Flood crisis will affect cost of living, treasurer warns

Devastating floods in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania will inevitably eat into the federal budget bottom line and drive up costs for households, Treasurer Jim Chalmers warns.
The federal government has already announced $1,000 one-off payments for eligible flood victims to help them respond to the emergency.
“Australians do need to brace for a cost of living impact from these floods,” Dr Chalmers told reporters in Canberra.

“These are likely to push up the cost of living when Australians are already under the weather and will also have obvious consequences for the budget.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, travelling to flood-hit western NSW on Monday, warned bumper wheat, fruit and vegetable crops in Victoria’s food basin have been affected, which would inevitably lead to rising prices.
“The impact will feed into higher prices, most unfortunately at a time when inflation has already been rising,” he told ABC Radio Melbourne.
Earlier this year, flooding was largely responsible for .
Dr Chalmers said he would speak with the prime minister, the finance minister and the agriculture minister about funding to help people rebuild following the latest round of natural disasters.

“There will be an element of that in the budget. We’ll make sensible provisions where we can,” he said.

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