Victorians have started the mammoth task of cleaning up after devastating floods left two dead and 64,000 people without power.
Gippsland and the Yarra Ranges were hit with rising flood levels overnight, with people in the Traralgon area subject to an evacuation order.
Emergency services are surveying the damage, having predicted rising flood levels in the Yarra River at Yarra Glen, the Thomson River near Sale and Traralgon Creek near Traralgon.
Anyone living, working or holidaying in the Traralgon Creek area was ordered to evacuate before nightfall on Friday.
Gippsland and the Yarra Ranges were hit with rising flood levels overnight, with people in the Traralgon area subject to an evacuation order
Major flooding is possible at Traralgon town from Saturday afternoon, with the creek expected to reach the ‘moderate’ flood level of 4m by mid-morning
Major flooding is possible at Traralgon town from Saturday afternoon, with the creek expected to reach the ‘moderate’ flood level of 4m by mid-morning.
Some 300 buildings in the area have already been impacted by floodwater, and 14 roads have been closed.
Moderate flooding is also occurring along the Thomson River near Sale and Wandocka.
River levels are falling, but renewed rises are possible with more rain forecast for the catchment on Saturday.
Stretches of the South Gippsland Highway are now closed due to the flooding.
Residents along the Yarra River from Millgrove to Coldstream are advised to evacuate if it becomes necessary.
The Yarra River at Yarra Glen peaked overnight at moderate flood levels but the river is still rising in Christmas Hills and Warrandyte.
Victoria has been relentlessly lashed with gusty winds and heavy rainfall since Wednesday night and two people have died in the dangerous conditions.
A young woman was found in a vehicle in floodwaters at Glenfyne, 200km southwest of Melbourne, on Friday, and a man’s body was found in his submerged car at the Gippsland town of Woodside on Thursday.
SES Victoria has had more than 7400 requests for help, with about 5800 related to fallen trees.
Victoria SES chief officer Tim Wiebusch said as of mid-Friday afternoon, 100 roads remained closed, particularly through the Dandenong Ranges.
Victoria Police said she is believed to be a woman named Nina who went missing from nearby Simpson on Wednesday
A strong wind warning was also issued on Friday for Gippsland Lakes and the eastern and central Gippsland coasts.
Those already in a safe place in Gippsland are urged to stay put for the next 24 to 48 hours when most of the flooding is expected to move through.
Authorities are pleading with locals not to drive through floodwaters after a 20-year-old woman’s body was found in flood waters southwest of Melbourne.
The body is the second fatality related to the wild weather that has lashed Victoria this week.
The body was found inside her ute in flood waters off Maddens Bridge Rd at Glenfyne, about 200km from Melbourne, on Friday morning.
Victoria Police said she is believed to be a woman named Nina who went missing from nearby Simpson on Wednesday.
A report will be prepared for the coroner, but the death is not being treated as suspicious.
A man was found dead in his submerged car at the coastal Gippsland town of Woodside on Thursday afternoon.
The body was found inside a her ute (pictured) in flood waters off Maddens Bridge Rd at Glenfyne, about 200km from Melbourne, on Friday morning
A map showing where the woman’s body was found on Friday and where a man was found dead on Thursday
SES Victoria has had more than 7400 requests for help, with about 5800 related to fallen trees.
About 2500 of those requests are yet to be cleared.
A strong wind warning was also issued on Friday for Gippsland Lakes and the eastern and central Gippsland coasts.
‘We know it is not over yet,’ Acting Premier Mr Merlino said.
‘It was quite extraordinary leaving home and driving through the Dandenongs to work this morning, having a few different routes to go through to get off the mountain – massive trees across homes, across the roads.’.
A flood evacuation warning has been re-issued for Traralgon (pictured) in Victoria’s Gippsland region
As of Friday afternoon, more than 120,000 homes were still without power and 100 roads remain closed, including parts of the Mt Dandenong Tourist Rd and the Maroondah Highway near Melbourne