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Residents have been ordered to flee their homes before being isolated for days as their city prepares for its worst flooding in 30 years.
Victoria’s ongoing flood crisis has entered its second week with four major flood warnings for northern parts of the state.
The biggest concern is for Echuca, on the NSW-Victoria border, where the Murray River could reach 95 meters on Friday, higher than its peak during the devastating floods of 1993.
Locals have teamed up to build a 2.5km sandbag flood levy, dividing the city, in an effort to protect thousands of homes and businesses.
With water expected to peak in the coming hours, authorities issued an emergency evacuation warning for parts of Echuca along the Campaspe River and the village of Echuca on Thursday afternoon.
Residents in affected areas have been ordered to leave now before it is too late.
Residents of the regional Victorian town of Echuca have imposed a sandbag levy to protect thousands of homes and businesses (pictured, residents build the wall outside a local pub)
The town of Echuca on the NSW-Victorian border is part of ‘severe storm trifecta’ that will destroy Australia’s east coast
‘If you don’t move now, you could be isolated for a few days. If you choose to stay, emergency services may not be able to help you,” the VicEmergency warning reads.
“The evacuation route is currently open, but it should not stay that way.”
Flooding has impacted sewage systems in Echuca, urging residents to minimize water use and limit showers.
This will reduce the amount of water sent to the sewer while flood levels are high, authorities added.
An emergency shelter has been set up for evacuees at Bendigo Showground.
Emergency evacuation orders were also issued for the neighboring towns of Barmah and Lower Moira.
River levels near Barmah peaked at 6.88m on Thursday, just below the record high of 7.2 meters in 1993.
Authorities have warned record will be broken in the next 30-48 hours, with the river expected to peak at 7.6 meters.
It’s because hundreds of Echuca properties can be sacrificed for being on the wrong side of the levee.
Despite the evacuation orders, the city is a hive of activity with countless residents who have spent the past few days building the artificial levy.
Poignant photos show dozens of Echuca residents struggling to build sandbag walls to protect their city from devastating floods.
The death toll from the state’s ongoing flood crisis also rose to two on Wednesday as communities hit by the harsh weather were offered more funding.
Echuca residents living near the flooded Campaspe River (pictured Monday) were urged to evacuate immediately Thursday afternoon
Echuca residents are urged to limit water use after floods affected the city’s sewage system. Pictured are the locals closely watching the rising water
Dozens of residents have built walls to protect homes, shops, pubs and McDonalds from ongoing flooding (photo, locals walk past shops with sandbags)
Several hundred properties on the wrong side of the charge (in red) in Echuca are at risk of protecting thousands of homes and businesses on the other side (in green)
Photos from Wednesday showed locals struggling to pile up the heavy sandbags, while others use construction equipment to erect fences of dirt.
Firefighters were also seen helping build the mounds with residents working to protect pubs, businesses, homes and the local McDonald’s.
Meanwhile, another savage storm is set to bring torrential downpours to Australia’s east coast, with the NSW-Queensland border hit hardest.
A huge sandbag wall was built along the outside of Echuca’s McDonalds (above) to protect it from flooding
A house in Echuca is littered with sandbags as floodwaters continue to rise
Parts of the South Australian outback saw record rainfall on Tuesday and Wednesday, with some areas receiving more rain than Victoria.
The Queensland outback is also experiencing severe storms with more than 80mm of rain expected in some areas by the end of the week.
The system will also bring more heavy rain to Victoria, with wet weather continuing through Sunday in all eastern states.
Victorian floods have claimed the lives of two men, a 65-year-old man and a 71-year-old man (pictured, residents in Echuca walking past shops with sandbags)
The state government has announced a $73.5 million aid package to help farmers and entrepreneurs recover from flood damage (photo, a sandbag wall in Echuca)
It means that homes and businesses that have been destroyed or damaged will be able to clear the property from hazards free of charge and the first phase will be coordinated by Emergency Recovery Victoria.
Up to 400 ADF personnel have been deployed to the hardest hit areas to help hand out sandbags and knock on doors.
“We have already seen our ADF members hard at work filling sandbags in Shepparton, building levees in Echuca and helping out in Wagga Wagga,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
“Now they are also going to support more people as we move into the clean-up phase of this disaster.”
Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said the additional aid would help some of the country’s worst-hit communities.