A man wades through floodwaters amid evacuation orders in the suburb of Maribyrnong in Melbourne, Australia. Large parts of Victoria, southern New South Wales and northern parts of the island state of Tasmania were hit by the intense weather system, with the centers receiving the fewest rains in more than a month since late Wednesday, officials said.
“Our river systems … are reaching major flood levels at various times today, over the weekend and next week,” Ambulance Victoria chief operating officer Tim Wiebusch told reporters. Many rivers in Victoria, including the Maribyrnong in Melbourne’s west and the Goulburn further north, reached major flood levels, prompting overnight evacuations.
The Goulburn River at Seymour, about 100 km (62 miles) north of Melbourne, peaked above the record 7.64 meters (25 feet) reached in May 1974, the data show. Rescue teams have carried out more than 200 flood rescue operations. Upstream in Shepparton, rising floodwaters are expected to surpass the 1974 peak by Tuesday, threatening more than 4,000 properties. “In terms of damage to property, roads, public infrastructure and the sheer volume of water, this will set new records,” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews told a news conference.
Andrews said a decision would be made on Saturday about reopening the state’s purpose-built COVID-19 quarantine facility, which was closed last week after Australia lifted isolation rules to provide protection for flood-affected residents. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the federal government was ready to provide aid to flood-affected states. “There are already members of the ADF (Australian Defense Force) in Victoria… it’s a difficult time, my heart goes out to the communities at the moment,” he was quoted as saying by local media.
Rapidly rising rivers
Footage on social media showed people wading through knee-deep water with their pets and some being rescued in boats, while local media reported that around 200 thoroughbred horses were at risk of being washed away in the rural Victorian town of Mangalore. “Everybody is in a state of ‘how is this happening?'” Maribyrnong resident Matt Iozzi, who had to evacuate in the early hours of Friday, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“I spoke to several neighbors, they were all leaving or planning to leave in the next 30 minutes after seeing how fast the water was rising.” About 1,000 residents of Wedderburn, a small town 200 km (125 mi) north of Melbourne, were ordered to evacuate urgently due to a possible breach of a nearby dam.
Agnico Eagle’s Fosterville gold mine, Victoria’s largest, has suspended all non-essential operations, the company said. A spokesman said it could take several days to restore full service. In Tasmania, the flooding crisis intensified with new evacuation orders on Friday, while hundreds of residents in southern New South Wales spent the night in evacuation centres. The rain eased on Friday afternoon, but the Met Office warned of another potential wild weather system next week. Devastating flooding has repeatedly hit Australia’s east coast since early last year due to the multi-year La Nina weather phenomenon, which brings more rain.
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