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Victoria remains waterlogged tonight as residents battle to cope after two days of torrential
rain and gale force winds.
We saw the Traralgon Creek raise very quickly, a very flashy catchment. We were issuing warnings
late afternoon into the evening, and emergency alert messages at around 2am Tuesday morning.
At about 3.30 this morning it was pretty heavy duty.
Certainly a major flooding event.
Gippsland has been the hardest hit, from Traralgon in the east to Paynesville on the Gippsland
Lakes.
This rainfall all came about both in the Otways and right across the Gippsland catchment area
in about a 24 hour period from start of Monday through to Tuesday morning where we saw that
200mm of rain.
Fears tonight that the state’s power supplies could be under threat after the Morwell River
broke its banks, sending floodwaters rushing into the Yallourn open cut mine.
Several thousand homes remain without power and scores of properties are still at risk
of going under.
I believe there are more than 50 houses already that have suffered some flood damage.
Quite devastated. I think if I started to cry I wouldn’t stop. So, I’m putting on
a brave face.
As Monday commenced the rain started falling and over that 24 hour period into 9am on Tuesday,
we saw 200mm of rain on the top of the Gippsland Ranges and widespread 100 to 150mm of rain
on the lower reaches of the Gippsland catchments. That’s one to two times the average monthly
rainfall for the month of June.
We had door knocking going on, we had sandbagging going on, we had terrific support from the
fire services both the CFA, the DSE, but we then also called in the defence force.
They key message is don’t drive through, walk through, play in flash flood waters.
It will, ultimately, end in death.