Melbourne weather: Suburbs that need to evacuate now as rain bomb strikes

Thousands of Victorians have been urged to evacuate their homes immediately as communities are inundated with flooding – some said it is now too late to leave.

Evacuation orders have been issued for Wedderburn, Maribyrnong in inner-city Melbourne, Benalla, Carisbrook and Rochester.

Those living in Seymour, just over an hour north of Melbourne, were told it was too late to leave on Friday morning. A shelter has opened in Wedderburn Hall.

‘It’s too late to leave now for people in the area bounded by the Goulburn River to Redbank Rd; along the Goulburn Valley Hwy to Whiteheads Creek to the railroad tracks and past the bridge over the river south,’ said VicEmergency.

“If you haven’t been evacuated, take shelter as high as possible.”

The same warning has also been issued for lo lying areas between Benalla and Baddiginnie.

Victoria endured this week’s worst rain, but the BoM on Friday canceled the severe weather warning

Those unable to flee to safety have been told to seek shelter on the highest possible ground and ensure they have adequate food and water.

“Keep in mind that you could be isolated from flooding for a considerable time,” the warning reads.

A warning of an impending dam breach at the Skinners Flat Reservoir led to the immediate evacuation of Wedderburn.

Residents in low-lying areas of Lake Eildon have been told to move as water seeps into bridges, homes and parks in the troubled town of Bendigo.

Maribyrnong (pictured) was one of the first suburbs of Melbourne to be evacuated

Thousands of residents in central Melbourne have been ordered to evacuate. Pictured is the Maribyrnong suburb under water on Friday

More than 450 properties in Rochester are expected to be affected when the swollen Campaspe River peaks early Friday morning.

The Victorian SES warned that the floods in Rochester may be reminiscent of 2011 when 80 percent of the township and surrounding rural areas were submerged.

At least 9,000 homes in the state are without electricity after a power station in Castlemaine, 100 km northwest of Melbourne, was flooded.

There have also been numerous warnings to move to higher elevations and avoid flooded areas around the state.

Forty-two suburbs have been declared in danger.

Brunswick, Coburg, Fitzroy and Northcote in the interior of Melbourne and Essendon, Sunshine, Footscray and Yarraville in the west are all on the list of ‘at risk neighbourhoods’.

On Thursday, a partially sunken car is on display in Bendigo, Victoria, as wet weather ravages the state

Dozens of schools have been closed and rail lines cut across much of the north as the state waits for the worst of the wet weather to clear up.

Thousands of Victorians were hit by severe flooding on Thursday, with residents of the central and northeastern parts of the state hardest hit.

Strathbogie North in the northeast of the state received 220mm of rain until 6am on Friday, while Charnwood saw 209mm of rain.

There may be some relief for Victorians along the way, as the Bureau of Meteorology says the severe weather warning issued for the state has now been cancelled.

Scattered showers are forecast for Friday in the southern and mountain areas of the state, but wet weather has largely eased.

But Andrew Crisp, Victoria’s emergency management commissioner, has warned that the state’s flood risk will not end after today, or even after this weekend.

He told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell that “we’ll be on this for a while,” as the state is experiencing a “campaign flood event.”

“There’s still low development, so we’ll probably see that again next Wednesday/Thursday,” he told Mitchell.

At least 40 schools and centers for young children have been closed and office workers in Melbourne have been asked to stay at home over fears the Yarra River would flood.

Football ovals in Bendigo are completely submerged in water as three boys sit nearby on a canoe