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Communities in eastern Victoria could be cut off if heavy rain causes flooding in areas still reeling from bushfires.
Up to 60 millimetres of rain is forecast to fall on fires burning at Briagolong and Loch Sport on Wednesday, adding to Tuesday’s deluge.
A flood watch warning has been issued for eastern Victoria, with a risk of riverine and flash flooding.
Victorian State Emergency Service chief operations officer Tim Wiebusch urged anyone in the state’s east to stay on top of warnings.
“There’s so many communities that will be at risk of local isolation between 12 to 24 hours – too many to mention here – but particularly in the north-east and also in that central to eastern part of Gippsland,” Mr Wiebusch told reporters at the State Control Centre on Tuesday.
He told residents to secure loose objects around their homes, such as outdoor furniture settings and trampolines because they could become projectiles in wild weather.
A fire at Loch Sport is burning still out of control.Credit: Meerlieu Rural Fire Brigade
“There’s certainly an increased risk any time we see large fire scars in the landscape, followed by heavy rainfall,” he said.
“There is the risk of increased debris flow and also localised landslides, particularly in the steeper terrain across Gippsland, where some of those fires have not only been in recent days, but also over the last couple of years.”
A low-pressure system was expected to form over the state’s east and bring up to 100 millimetres of rain over the Eastern Ranges, according to Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Christie Johnson.
“We are still expecting damaging wind gusts to be on the cards, so there is that potential for gusts up to 90 km/h or even a little bit higher,” she said on Tuesday.
A fire burns near Briagolong on Sunday.
A minor flood warning has also been issued for the Goulburn River, Yarra River and Seven and Castle Creeks.
Weather conditions are expected to ease from Thursday, but flooding is tipped to set in from Wednesday and last until the weekend.
The flood threat comes after many residents in Gippsland were put on alert for fires.
About 700 firefighters spent three days battling two separate blazes, with one home lost in Briagolong but no reports of serious injuries.
The cause of that blaze, which grew to about 17,500 hectares, is under investigation.
AAP
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