The devastating floods of 2012 will be on many local’s minds after another La Nina event was confirmed by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) last week.
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The last La Nina event was in 2010-2012 where 140 townships, 68,000 properties and 7,500 people were impacted by flooding across Victoria.
The Yarrawonga district experienced some minor flooding during the spring of 2011 which ironically brought with it a welcomed record harvest. But the major impact was at the tail end of the La Nina event in early 2012 where moisture was pushed down from tropical storms in the north causing a “flood of a lifetime”.
Half of the average yearly rainfall fell in seven days across the region with Yarrawonga recording 277.6mm (11 inches), Tungamah recorded 305mm (12 inches) and Wilby copped 355mm (14 inches).
It was the biggest single rainfall event for the area recorded in Bureau of Meteorology history dating back to 1879.
Despite a major community effort and countless amounts of sandbagging, flooding caused extensive damage to homes around Yarrawonga particularly in the east and south-west residential estates making some homes inaccessible forcing residents to source alternative accommodation.
Cars were stuck in driveways, debris washed up to the front doors and people were forced to wade through knee deep water to get to work. Once the flood water receded residents set about putting pressure on council to fix poor drainage issues in some of Yarrawonga’s residential streets. Many of these drainage issues have been repaired since.
Following the 2012 event Moira Shire developed a comprehensive Flood Emergency Plan in 2014.
Among the many measures in the plan was to store 50,000 sandbags to protect assets in the shire.
The Flood Emergency Plan recommended Yarrawonga to hold a total of 18,000 sandbags in storage. 1,000 sandbags are to be available for council to enable protection of public assets (ie. those assets that are the statutory responsibility of council). 9,000 sandbags are to be made available to residents outside the levees. In addition, 8,000 sandbags were planned to be stored at the Yarrawonga SES headquarters in Dunlop Street.
In Tungamah 10,000 sandbags have planned to be stored. 1,000 of these sandbags are to be available for council to enable protection of public assets the remaining 9,000 sandbags are to be made available to residents outside the levees.
Sandbag filling stations are planned for the Yarrawonga Depot on Sharp Street (Yarrawonga Showgrounds / Victoria Park as an alternative) and at the Tungamah Depot in Boyd Street.
Victorian SES last week urged locals to prepare for wet and wild weather and possible floods.
Tim Wiebusch, Chief Officer VICSES said from a flooding perspective, there are similarities in the climate outlook to what was experienced in 2016 and at its worst we could even see similar to what occurred in 2010 and 2012.
“That was the last significant La Niña event and the flood impacts had devastating consequences right across Victoria,” Mr Wiebusch said.
“We know a protracted flood event is the last thing Victorian’s need in 2020, we’re preparing for it with our partner emergency services, and we need the community to be prepare for it too.”
VICES has developed 120 easy-to-read local flood guides, in a bid to raise flood awareness for community’s on their local risk profile and save lives.
Many of us don’t know that floods are the second deadliest natural disaster in Australia, with the majority of fatalities due to people being washed away in vehicles. It takes only 15cm of water to float a small car, with Victorians urged to never take the risk of driving or walking through it.
Before the impacts of La Nina take hold, VICSES also wants Victorians in low laying areas to know the basic steps of sandbagging and what to do when impacted by a major flood.
For more information on local flood guides and sandbagging visit www.ses.vic.gov.au.
Households and business should also refer to the Local Flood Guide on Moira Shire Council’s Flood Emergency Plan for more information go to www.moira.vic.gov.au.