Elsie Lange
With another La Niña event underway, Macedon Ranges State Emergency Services are reminding residents to be prepared for flood risks.
The weather event was declared by the Bureau of Meteorology on September 13, predicting above-average rainfall for eastern Australia over spring and early summer.
Gisborne SES media officer Ross Evans reminded residents to check weather updates, and indicated a review of current flood plans were underway with Macedon Ranges council.
“It’s mostly about self preparation, keeping an eye on the weather warnings and the weather systems and paying attention… as we go into the wetter season,” Mr Evans said.
The Macedon Ranges area experiences both riverine flooding and flash flooding, affecting rural areas along the creeks, local and larger roads, and a number of the region’s urban areas.
According to Victoria SES flood information, there are a number of creeks within the region which are subject to flooding, as well as the Campaspe and Coliban rivers.
“If you get a weather system that comes down for the north west, that’s going to largely impact on the northern half of the mountain ranges, that is going to cause water to filter down into the Campaspe system,” Mr Evans said.
“The other one is flash flooding – that is when high volumes of rain overwhelms drainage systems.
“This is impacted by what hits the ground first. If you get a lot of hail first, as an example, it will block the drains and cause high volumes of flash flooding.”
He said it was “almost impossible to predict” what the coming weeks and months will hold, “it just comes down to volume of water that hits the ground and where it’s got to go”.
“There’s a lot of fear and anxiety that goes around and people are tied emotionally to what they’ve seen in the last 12 months, with the flooding in New South Wales, and the predictions of another La Niña, but individual preparedness is key,” he said.
Victorian SES North West Region operations officer Peter Paterson urged residents to go to the SES website to familiarise themselves with their local flood guide.
“[Be] aware of your surrounds, [and] if you see flood waters, avoid [them],” he said.
“You’re not only putting yourself at risk but you’re putting emergency services at risk, if you need to be rescued.”
Details: www.ses.vic.gov.au/.
