A landslide that occurred in the aftermath of a flood that occurred throughout eastern Australia has isolated a village Mallacoota, and now floods are threatening to shut off a second town in the state of Victoria.
Following the accumulation of more than 150 millimeters of rain in a single day in several regions, eastern Victoria and southern New South Wales were prepared to receive additional precipitation on Friday.
A landslide that occurred on Thursday morning closed off the town of Mallacoota, which is located in the East Gippsland region of Victoria, from the general public. As of Friday noon, the town was still inaccessible to the general public. It was still possible for emergency vehicles to enter the community in question.
In the twenty-four hours leading up to Thursday evening, Kameruka Estate, which is located close to Bega, received 200 millimeters, while Mallacoota recorded 112 millimeters.
Despite the fact that the rain had subsided by Friday, flood waters remained to pose a hazard to the towns. When the Bemm River overflowed, it was anticipated that it would completely cut off the town.
A warning was issued earlier by the Bureau of Meteorology that rain would continue to fall on waterlogged areas throughout the entire day of Friday and into the weekend. Falls of up to 200 millimeters were expected to be recorded in several areas of eastern Victoria.
In the twenty-four hours leading up to four o’clock on Friday, there were 527 cries for assistance, and there were ten active flood warnings in force in Victoria.
During the afternoon on Friday, major warnings were issued for the Thomson and Avon rivers. It was reported that the Buchan, Macalister, Snowy, and Mitchell rivers were all experiencing moderate levels of flooding.
An alert for the Bemm River was reduced to an advising level, and river levels are expected to decrease for the remainder of the week and into the weekend. However, emergency services have warned that there is a possibility that river levels will increase again due to the anticipated rainfall.
“The community of Bemm River is very likely to be cut off this afternoon as the flood waters make their way down the Bemm River catchment,” said Tom Crook, the mayor of East Gippsland shire, in an interview with News.
It was reported by Victoria’s State Emergency Service that there were four different landslides on the one road that led into Mallacoota, and the only cars that were able to enter or exit the area were emergency vehicles. On Friday afternoon, it was anticipated that the debris would be removed.
An SES volunteer named Jenny Lloyd told media that in the forty years that she has been in this area, she has never witnessed such a large amount of water in our water system.
The community was severely impacted by the black summer bushfires that occurred in 2019-20, and there are concerns that this spell of rain could fuel new development and bring additional threats for the upcoming fire season. Lloyd remarked, “This is the price we pay for living in a little piece of paradise,” and he was perfectly correct.
Several flood warnings at the advise level were issued for New South Wales, and it was anticipated that portions of the south-east of the state may receive as much as 300 millimeters of rain by the end of Friday.
On Thursday night, a severe weather warning for heavy rain was still in effect for individuals living in certain areas of the south coast and the Snowy Mountains. However, it was anticipated that the circumstances will improve in the coming days.
On Friday, there is also a possibility of strong thunderstorms occurring in the central, southern, and south-east regions of Queensland, while the northern region continues to experience severe hot conditions.
