Major flooding continues to threaten Victorian towns with residents still unable to return
A Good Samaritan has told how he saved a 74-year-old who got stuck in floodwaters and had to cling onto a tree in Central Victoria as major flooding threatens parts of the state.
Victoria’s State Emergency Service (SES) has received more than 1500 calls for help since Sunday, while nine current watch and act alerts remain across central Victoria, including for Seymour, Rochester and Yea.
Police have praised a local hero who rescued a 74-year-old woman who was driving in a convoy on Elmore-Raywood Road in Elmore just after 7pm yesterday when her car was swept off the road into Bendigo Creek at Naughtons Bridge.
The car travelled about 100 metres downstream before the woman was able to cling to a nearby tree.
Mitchell Smith, who has spoken to 9News, swam out to the woman and used a ratchet strap to secure her to the tree.
He remained with her for up to an hour until emergency services arrived, while her car sank.
“I knew something had to be done,” he told 9News.
“I helped her up onto a log because she was struggling for strength.”
“I knew that if we both went into the water, I’d struggle to save myself and her.
“If it was my grandma in the car, I hope someone would do the same thing.”
State Emergency Service personnel, including members from both the water police and Search and Rescue Squad, arrived and deployed a vessel into the water to rescue the pair.
“Police would like to that the good Samaritan who risked his own life to jump into the water, secure the woman and stay with her providing reassurance and care,” police have said in a statement.
Further north, Rochester was spared the worst of the floods with levels today expected to peak one-metre lower than the town’s devastating floods in October 2022.
Communities across the state pulled together to defend their homes from rising waters, with incredible stories emerging of a woman’s rescue from floodwaters.
“A bit of a one-eye sleep to be honest,” local Steve Parke told 9News.
“We were a bit worried, only 15 months ago we copped this.”
In the last 48 hours the Victoria’s SES received 1683 requests for assistance, including 831 flood-related requests.
Most calls came from Bendigo with 196 requests followed by Kilmore with 115 requests.
North of Bendigo in Goornong, dozens of homes were inundated with flood waters after the Campese River swelled to 114mm.
In the Southern end of the Goulburn Valley, flood waters in Seymour peaked at 6.8 metres last night, resulting in up more than 12 homes lost.
An evacuation order remains in place for Seymour while flood waters currently sit at 5.8 metres, with residents able to return once levels hit 5 metres later today.
Major flooding is still possible in Murchison and Shepparton overnight with heavy rain forecast later tonight.
Premier Jacinta Allan said emergency services were unable to conduct formal damage assessments until floods recede.
She said it will be a tough recovery for what has been “another difficult emergency”.
“The way the community has responded to protect people in that area is a strong one,” she told reporters today.
Victorian towns go underwater after 120-year record rain
Residents across regional Victoria were told it was too late to leave as floodwaters continued to rise into the early morning.
The evacuation order for low-lying parts of Seymour remains in place.
As of 6am today, watch and act advice has been issued for the Goulburn River between Murchison and Shepparton after parts of the Goulburn catchment recorded 40mm since 9am yesterday.
The Goulburn River is sitting at 6.20 metres and while currently below the minor flood level, it is likely to exceed 9.50 metres by tomorrow afternoon.
In Rochester, it’s now too late for residents to leave, the advice for Barnadown to Rochester is to move to higher ground as the Campaspe River is expected to peak near 114.80 metres mid-morning today.
Residents in low-lying parts of Seymour were told to avoid flooded areas.
In Yea, which is experiencing widespread flooding, residents were warned to move to high ground.
Yesterday afternoon, the Victorian SES said it had received over 1200 requests for assistance in 24 hours.
Rescue crews carried out 38 swift water rescues; 16 in the Bendigo area, eight around Goornong, four at Heathcote, two at Lockwood and two at Woodvale.
“In the majority of cases it’s people taking their lives in their own hands and attempting to drive through flash floodwaters,” SES chief officer operations Tim Wiebusch said.
“We cannot emphasise enough, do not attempt to drive through floodwaters it could be the last decision you make,” he added.
