Wednesday updates: 40-60mm of rain forecast as community hears Murray River to peak on Saturday
Approximately 150 people attended a community meeting at Echuca Harness Racing Club on Wednesday morning, with emergency services confirming the Murray River is expected to peak on Saturday, October 22.
The peak was revised on Tuesday to 95.6m - down from 95.9m - but 40-60mm of rain is expected to fall later this week.
The former peak of 95.9m sparked efforts to construct a massive levee bank in Echuca East, and interim chief executive officer of Campaspe Shire Council Tim Tamlin explained the reasoning for the location of the levee.
“That was a decision that was taken a number of days ago with the information that we had at hand,” Mr Tamlin said.
“That came from the control centre that is looking after this incident. Why the levees are where they are is because that was the best choice at the time."
Massive community efforts have yielded 200,000 sandbags in less than a week, and Australian Defence Force personnel at the meeting demonstrated how to effectively stack them.
The livestream from Campaspe Shire Council contains the demonstration, and that can be found at this link.
Fifty Victorian Police personnel are now stationed in Echuca.
10:30AM: Residents have been told the Murray River is expected to peak in Echuca-Moama on Saturday at 95.6m (AHD), a figure lower than the 95.9m (AHD) previously reported on Monday.
A Country Fire Authority official addressed a crowd of locals at Victoria Park in Echuca on Tuesday night, providing an update on the impending flood situation.
“The Campaspe River event was a large-flow one-in-1000-year event,” he said.
“Our Campaspe River is no longer a river, it is now a swimming pool.
“It is actually called the Murray pool. That pool starts from the Ogilvie Ave Bridge, and runs all the way to where the Campaspe and the Murray normally meet.”
He said references to heights in the river will now refer to the Echuca Wharf.
“The height that we will see in the Campaspe pool (south of Ogilvie Ave) will be 95.2m above sea level,” the CFA official said.
“The height we will see in the Murray pool will be 95.6m. You and everyone’s efforts are helping build a levee system at 96m.
“We don’t know what is going to happen, it hasn’t happened before. But all the best information we have got says it [the peak] is going to be 95.6m.
“There has been a massive effort. All we can do say two things: keep making sandbags and keep responding like this and we will save more than we ever imagined.”
The update provides new information on what was reported earlier this week. The peak is now anticipated to arrive later than what was earlier anticipated, and at a lower level than what a meeting was told the river would peak at on Monday.
Efforts are underway to build an additional levee in Echuca East, which will be built at a height of 96m.
So far, the levee runs down Pakenham St and Bowen St, with plans to extend it down Goulburn Rd.
The level of the Murray River is at 94.36m (AHD) at 9am on Wednesday morning.
An emergency warning is in place for residents Barmah and Lower Moira to evacuate immediately.
A 7.6m peak is predicted at Barmah in the next 48 hours, surpassing the 1993 flood peak of 7.2m.
An emergency relief centre has been established at the Nathalia Community Sports Centre, with the safest evacuation route through Picola to the Murray Valley Hwy, then turn right to head south directly into Nathalia.
It comes as a 65-year-old man’s body was found in floodwaters on Paynes Road, Nathalia about 8.45am today.
He is the second victim of the state’s flood crisis.
According to the Campaspe Shire Council, these are the current road closures in place.
Rochester
Township remains closed
Many roads to the west of the township are closed. At this stage we are not able to access the area to advise details.
There is little access from Rochester to Bamawm / Lockington - particular roads impacted:
Prairie Rochester Road
Foster Road
Railway Road
O'Donnel Road
Echuca
Northern Highway - from Fehring Lane south all the way to Elmore
Echuca Kyabram Road C351 (McKenzie Road) - from Echuca-Nanneella Road to Kyabram
Simmie Road - from Murray Valley Highway to O'Dea Road
Campaspe Esplanade - from Rose Street to Warren Street
McKenzie Street - from Ogilvie Avenue to Eyre Street (Back 9 Golf Course)
Eyre Street - from McKenzie Street to Haverfield Street
Kerford Street - from Sutton Street to Mitchell Street (sandbagging site)
Warren Street - from Cobb Highway to Murray Valley Highway
Anderson Road from Campbell Road to Menzies Road
Watson Street from Hopwood Place to Crofton Street
Elizabeth Street from Campaspe Esplanade to Shackell Street
Butcher Street from Campaspe Esplanade to Shackell Street
Luth Street from Campaspe Esplanade to Crossen Street
Murray Esplanade from Leslie Street to Hopwood Place
Pakenham Street from Sutton Street to Bowen Street
Bowen Street from Goulburn Road to Pakenham Street
Anstruther Street from Sturt Street to Hovell Street
Goulburn Road from Pakenham Street to Lady Augusta Road
Pakenham Street from Goulburn Road to Bowen Street
Echuca Village
Simmie Road - from McKee Road to the riverbank
Stewarts Bridge Road - from Echuca Village to Wallala Road
Torrumbarry / Gunbower
Headworks Road from Murray Valley Highway to the end of the road
Torrumbarry Weir Road from Murray Valley Highway to the end of the road
Brereton Road from Island School Road to the end of the road
Kyabram / Tongala / Strathallan / Nanneella
Echuca Kyabram Road from Simmie Road to Kyabram
Henderson Road from Finlay Road to Graham Road
O'Dea Road from Echuca-Nanneella Road to Murray Valley Highway
Doherty Road from Craig Road to Webb Road
Wyuna
Murray Valley Highway from Scobie Road to McCoys Bridge
Patho
Davis Road from Murray Valley Highway to McIntyre Road
Ballendella
Prarie-Rochester Road from Northern Highway to Lockington Road