As heavy rain lashed southeast Australia thousands more lost power and a man was missing on Thursday, Hundreds of homes were evacuated, Flood warnings were issued.
With catchments soaked by months of above-average rainfall New South Wales and Victoria, and the island state of Tasmania were rising dangerously, Rivers across Australia’s most populous states.
By Thursday night ahead of major flooding around 250 homes in the New South Wales city of Forbes, west of Sydney, were ordered to be evacuated.
With the Lachlan River expected to reach a major flood peak of 10.6 meters (34 feet, 9 inches) by Friday, the State Emergency Service issued an order for 17 streets to be evacuated by 8 p.m., (0900 GMT) including the central downtown precinct.
On the Lachlan River near the New South Wales town of Hillston Llast seen on Tuesday Police said a 63-year-old man was on a rural property, west of Sydney. To find any sign of him he was reported missing hours later but emergency crews have failed.
Police on Tuesday found the body of a 46-year-old man in his submerged car in flood water near the city of Bathurst, west of Sydney.
Through floodwaters in rural areas after heavy overnight rain emergency crews rescued at least 23 people driving to the south in Victoria, the officials said.
People not to drive or walk into floodwaters, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews urged.
Andrews said “It’s also very dangerous for the person who has to come to rescue you and it’s very dangerous for you”.
The heavy rain would reach metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria’s capital and Australia’s most populous city after Sydney, late Thursday, State Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned the rain would continue, while the far west started to dry out. For the central, southern and south-east regions of Queensland on Thursday heavy downpours and possible thunderstorms were forecast.
On Wednesday after a dual ute was swept away north of Mackay flood waters claimed the life of a woman. Two passengers, a man and a woman, escaped the vehicle and were taken to hospital, as a precautionary measure.
On Thursday all CityCat and ferry services were suspended in Brisbane, with total rainfall of 50mm forecast for Brisbane. As dangerous surf and huge swell were expected along the coastline Gold Coast beaches were closed.
“These could produce damaging wind gusts and also intense rainfall that could lead to life-threatening flash flooding”, Meteorologist Christie Johnson said.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned the rain would continue, while the far west started to dry out. On Thursday, for the central, southern and south-east regions of Queensland on Thursday heavy downpours and possible thunderstorms were forecast.
To ensure residents were ready to evacuate if necessary officials have been door-knocking along the Maribyrnong River in inner-Melbourne.
Crisp said “We will see potential for flash flooding and see significant rainfall across the metropolitan area”.
In the town of Rochester, north of Melbourne, Sarah-Jane Gill, a manager at the Rochester Riverside Holiday Park, said she had evacuated guests on Thursday as the Campaspe River rose.
“It is scary. You laugh in the face of it all, but we’re very nervous,” Gill said.
For the Campaspe and another four Victorian waterways the Bureau of Meteorology has issued major flood warnings.
On Friday the Campaspe’s peak at Rochester could exceed a record 9.12 meters (29 feet, 11 inches) set in 2011. The State Emergency Service said that could flood 250 Rochester homes above the floorboards and isolate another 700 homes.
The State Control Center said that, with hundreds yet to be restored, which manages Victoria’s emergencies, and electricity distributor Powercor Nearly 10,000 homes in Victoria were without power overnight.
90 homes were threatened by floodwaters after overnight rain, in the northern Tasmanian town of Railton.
The State Emergency Service issued an emergency warning for Railton, urging residents to prepare to evacuate.
With heavy rain forecast to continue into Friday morning, The state’s northern half was on high alert for flash flooding.
Flood peaks in northern Tasmania might reach levels last experienced in 2016 when three people drowned, State Emergency Service director Leon Smith said.
Smith said “It is a very dynamic situation that we’re monitoring, but inevitably we will see flooding that will have significant consequences”.
Source:- https://sharenewzlive.com/southeast-australia-lashed-by-heavy-rain-flood-warnings-issued/
