Residents across Australia’s east coast are bracing for more wild weather as communities already hit hard by flooding continue the clean-up.
A severe weather warning has been issued for Victoria, New South Wales (NSW), Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Tasmania, with damaging winds expected for the rest of Monday.
More than 14,000 people were left without power in Victoria after damaging wind gusts hit southern parts of the state, from the South Australian border across metropolitan Melbourne to Gippsland, on Sunday night.
The SES received more than 350 calls for help in 24 hours, mostly in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
The Murray River remains in flood at Echuca, although water levels are slowly subsiding.
An evacuation order has been issued for Bogong Village near Falls Creek in the state’s northeast, where a slow-moving landslide is active above the alpine settlement.
Across the Bass Straight, Tasmanians have been warned of the risks of flash flooding, winds of up to 110km/h and possible thunderstorms in southern parts of the state.
Frustrated police are considering whether to charge a 17-year-old Launceston P-plater for disobeying road signs after the driver and the 15-year-old passenger were rescued from flood waters.
Acting Inspector Jason Jones said the road had been clearly signposted as closed.
“It’s just getting to a point where we have to set an example,” he said on Sunday.
“We don’t just shut the roads because we want to; we shut the roads because there’s a genuine need to keep people away.”
Authorities spent three hours rescuing the pair, who had called for help on Saturday after their 4WD became stuck in metre-high floodwater.
In NSW, damaging winds could develop across eastern parts of the state, prompting fears that trees and powerlines could fall in already saturated soil.
Coastal and elevated areas in South Australia are likely to experience damaging winds from late on Monday morning.
