New satellite images showing the impact on Victorian towns reveal the spread of flood water as the federal government makes more local government areas eligible for help.
Follow the latest updates with our live blog.
Key events
- You can watch the Victoria flood update here
- In pictures: Satellite images show impact on Victorian towns
- The latest on the situation in Victoria
- Federal government to offer flood assistance to more areas of Victoria, Tasmania
- Satellite pictures show Echuca before and after flooding
- NSW to potentially expect some 'severe thunderstorms' this week
- NSW to see additional ADF support rolled out into high-risk communities
- 'Major concerns' for town of Moama, NSW Premier says
- Echuca residents are preparing for a second inundation
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Live updates
By Jessica Riga
Where to find emergency assistance and information
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For emergency assistance, contact the SES on 132 500
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If your life is at risk, call Triple Zero (000) immediately
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Roads and bridges may be impacted by flash flooding. You can find the latest Victorian evacuation orders here, the latest Tasmanian evacuation orders here and the latest NSW evacuation orders here.
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For the latest weather updates visit the Bureau of Meteorology
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If you're not sure what to do when there's a flood, here's the best way to plan
Listen to ABC Local Radio for regular updates:
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ABC Radio Melbourne on 774am or online
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ABC Radio Sydney on 702am or online
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ABC Radio Hobart on 936am or online
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Search for a different frequency using the ABC Radio Finder
By Bridget Judd
Here are the key points from the Victoria flood update
If you missed that press conference out of Melbourne, here were the main takeaways.
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Families who have been directly affected by the floods will be able to send their three and four-year-old children to kinder for free in Term 4.
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Students directly affected by the floods will be automatically eligible for a Derived Examination Score (DES). A DES is calculated based on students’ scores throughout the school year if they are unable to sit exams, which are scheduled to begin next week.
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A $5.5 million food relief package will be distributed to flood-affected communities.
By Sian Johnson
Sandbags are coming to Victoria from across the country
Mr Andrews says he is confident there will be enough sandbags for flood-affected communities.
Some people have been reporting difficulties getting their hands on sandbags and in Echuca, a tale has emerged of sandbags being stolen from someone's home.
"We have some additional sandbags coming from different parts of Australia as well," he says.
"We share ours, they share theirs."
He says the number sent out are dependent on advice from local emergency services.
By Sian Johnson
Premier says 'handful' of people are at the Mickleham quarantine facility
Mr Andrews says "a handful" of flood-affected people are already at the repurposed Mickleham COVID quarantine facility, after the state and Commonwealth governments agreed to use it as part of Victoria's flood response.
"We've had a number of other people who have expressed an interest to move there," he says.
"It's a really challenging decision for people to make, to move away from their local community.
He said hundreds of others were being put up in serviced apartments across the state.
By Sian Johnson
'No advice' to declare state of emergency or disaster
Mr Andrews says "at this point" there is "no advice" to declare a state of emergency or a state of disaster due to the impact of flooding on places the town of Rochester.
"We will be with the community of Rochester as long as we have to be in every way we possibly can to support them through what is an incredibly difficult time," he says.
He said "whatever legal instrument" needed would be used in the future if that was the advice given.
"Thing are working very well, everyone's working together," Mr Andrews says.
By Bridget Judd
Daniel Andrews: 'When it comes to the SES, the best thing we can do is to say thank you'
The Victorian Premier was asked whether any SES members were unable to volunteer because they aren't vaccinated.
He says it's "a tiny, tiny number of people".
"And the advice I have from emergency services is that it is not impacting in any way the response on the ground. That is our advice," he says.
"I've answered the question and I don't want to take away... from a central point: when it comes to the SES, the best thing we can do is to say thank you. That's the best thing to do."
By Sian Johnson
More rescues likely in the coming days
Mr Andrews says more than 700 people have already been rescued or evacuated in Victoria, and more are expected.
"Some of those will be where people simply can't leave, for a whole range of complex reasons," he said.
"And others will be where they have chosen to stay. That's a deeply personal matter.
"No-one is telling people what to do other than telling people, you been given the advice, the advice is not issued lightly, it's for you and your safety.
"Please, if you are told to leave, give proper consideration to that, and if you need support to get out, will provide you with that support.
"It's better to do that before your home is flooded, rather than afterwards."
By Bridget Judd
The derived examination score for VCE students will be on a 'case-by-case' basis
Premier Daniel Andrews is taking questions now. He says being flooded "is a deeply traumatic thing", adding that VCE students in the state's north "face a different challenge".
"They are part of the special consideration and derived score, so a derived score is probably more relevant to the north, special consideration for individual circumstances, that might be more relevant for those Metropolitan communities, I think."
By Bridget Judd
ADF personnel are on the ground in flood affected communities across Victoria
ADF Brigadier Matt Burr says personnel are on the ground in the Greater Shepparton region, Mooropna, Echuca, Seymour and Rochester, alongside "a lot of the communities in between".
"The types of task those ADF members are doing are assisting the local communities in the preparation activities, that the Commissioner has spoken to, preparation in the way of levy banks, sand bagging, assisting in relief centres and preparing individual homes or community centres for those flood events that are either forecast or impacting those areas," he says.
By Sian Johnson
Bureau of Meteorology's Michael Efron
Senior meteorologist Michael Efron says "waters are receding very slowly" on major rivers still subject to major flood warnings such as the Wimmera, Loddon, Avoca, Goulburn and the Murray.
He said warned later in the week things would begin to change again.
"As we head into Wednesday we will start to see further shower and thunderstorm activity developing over the northern parts of the Mallee," he said.
He said the rest of the state was expected to stay dry on Wednesday, but from Thursday and Friday the wet weather would begin affect other areas of Victoria as well.
By Bridget Judd
WATCH: Daniel Andrew gives a flood update for Victoria
By Bridget Judd
Since the Victorian floods began, there have been more than 700 flood rescues
Victoria's Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp is reiterating that earlier message from Daniel Andrews.
"We will keep saying it, because we should. Since this event started, [there have been] more than 700 flood rescues. More than 7,000 requests for assistance.
"Ten per cent of the work of the SES emergency services has been rescuing people in situations which were very much preventable so, please, let's not distract our emergency services from what they should be doing."
By Bridget Judd
Daniel Andrews: 'This is far from over'
The Premier says the state is going to see "more rain, thousands of people with homes full of water".
"I think flood [affected] communities know this, but for the broader Victorian community, this is far from over. We're going to see more rain, thousands of people with homes full of water, others who cannot go back because they have left and are now parted from their home," he says.
"This is a very, very challenging time. There are still warnings in place, still some very serious challenges for us to rise to over the coming days.
"Please, do not drive through floodwater. Please, please, do not drive through floodwater. It means we have to send crews to your rescue. It is dangerous for you and for them and it means those crews have to attend something that was preventable."
By Bridget Judd
Almost 15,000 applications for emergency payments have been made
The Victorian Premier says authorities are "working as hard as we can to have those paid out as fast as possible".
"Those payments are up to or just over $2000 for eligible families who are out of their property because of the flood event and as I said, going on 15,000 people have applied for the grant."
By Bridget Judd
Some extra details on the Victorian flood response
Mr Andrews is running through a broader flood update now:
- There are 12 relief centres providing food, shelter and basic supplies to communities in need
- There are 13 aircraft coming to support affected communities
- There are 55 sandbag collection points across the state and "thousands" of volunteer and career emergency service staff on the ground.
By Bridget Judd
VIC: A $5.5 million food package will be used for 'communities who need it most'
Mr Andrews says the package includes funding for Food Bank Victoria, Oz Harvest, and Second Bite.
"There are also grants for neighbourhood houses, food hubs and multicultural food [hubs], acknowledging for many of those communities that are flood affected, they are very diverse communities. It's a great strength of those local communities."
By Sian Johnson
Free kinder for flood-affected families
Victorian families hit by the floods will be able to send their three-and-four-year-old children to kinder for free for the remainder of the year, the government has announced.
Mr Andrews says families who have been directly affected by the floods will be eligible to have money already paid refunded.
The government has announced $2 million in grants to rebuild sessional kinder services which have been affected by the disasters.
By Bridget Judd
A derived examination score will be used for flood-affected VCE students if it is 'deemed appropriate'
Mr Andrews says it's going to be "incredibly difficult for students who can't be at home and they can't remotely learn either because teachers are being flood affected as well".
"Schools are being flood affected. More than 80 of them closed. The automatic application of the derived examination will mean students are not disadvantaged, meaning they will seek to complete their VCE and university, TAFE and employment. We will also work with schools that will identify those students to which this applies."
By Bridget Judd
VIC: 81 schools and 59 early childhood facilities are closed as a result of flooding
Premier Daniel Andrews says it'll be "really difficult for families in our worst affected areas, particularly families with school-aged kids".
He says families directly affected by the floods will be able to send their three and four-year-olds to kinder for free for term four.
"Monies that have been paid will be refunded, money that has not yet been paid will not have to be paid."
By Bridget Judd
More rain is on the way, particularly for northern Victoria
We're hearing from Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews now.
He says there is more rain on its way by the end of the week.
"Particularly for northern Victoria. And that will see renewed water rising and flooding, potentially not exceeding the peaks that we saw over the weekend but still, very significant challenges," Mr Andrews says.
