Levee construction to protect the South Australian town of Renmark from rising River Murray floodwaters is nearing completion as water flows continue to rise.
The town will be the first in SA to feel the brunt of the flood event as water surges down the river system over the next few weeks, with flows set to be the highest since the 1970s.
Renmark Paringa Council chief executive Tony Siviour told locals that daily inspections of the 38 kilometres of levees were about to begin using drones and visual checks.
He said some work remained be to completed on three of the 22 sections, but would be finished before the first expected peak in water levels around December 14.
At that stage, flows were expected to reach about 175 gigalitres a day.
A second peak will hit SA towards the end of December with flows around 185 GL.
Parts of Renmark will also be protected with the DefenCell technology, essentially large sandbags linked together which are then filled with earth, with the system to be rolled out next week.
"So we have plenty of time," Mr Siviour told a public meeting in the town on Thursday.
"We will have that in place ready to go."
The rising Murray is expected to inundate up to 4000 properties in SA with more than 450 of those considered to be permanent residences.
Authorities have begun door-knocking across river communities to ensure people are prepared for what's heading their way.
Renmark and Mannum, east of Adelaide, are considered the towns most at risk. Levee construction at Mannum is also in full swing with the first peak flows set to reach there around December 27.
The state government last week announced a $51.6 million assistance package, including support for tourism and other businesses, as well as direct emergency payments to homeowners.
The federal government has also provided the disaster recovery allowance to people across nine SA districts to help employees and sole traders who lose income.
Payments will depend on individual circumstances, but are linked to youth and JobSeeker allowances.
While many impacted by the floods in SA will take refuge with family or friends, the state government has also secured emergency motel accommodation.
For those with caravans, the government has identified a site in the Riverland with power and toilets that can accommodate up to 200 vans.
For those who must leave their homes for an extended period and can find a private rental option, the government is offering up to $5000 to help cover costs.
A site for an evacuation centre has also been secured to provide a single night of accommodation as people are triaged into motels or other accommodation.
So far about 1200 properties have been disconnected from the electricity grid, with that number expected to rise to about 4000.
About 85 roads across the Riverland region have also been closed.
