UPDATE, 4.09PM: Central Goldfields Shire together with the SES has issued a statement saying the Incident Control Centre is ready to be mobilised when required.
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There is expected to be flooding of minor creek crossings and drains which may spread to major creek crossings and drains.
The SES and CFA will assist residents in preparing to protect their homes.
Sandbags are available directly from them along with local hardware stores with sand being delivered Carisbrook CFA, Dunolly SES and Talbot CFA along with other centres in the shire.
Prepared sandbags will be available from Princes Park, Park Road, Maryborough if required Friday afternoon or Saturday.
Residents are advised they need to contact the SES directly for access to sandbags either in person or via the Storms Hotline 132 500. Call for assistance must be placed through the storms hotline.
Central Goldfields Shire will head up the protection and signage of roads, bridges and drains. Water over roads can be reported to the afterhours emergency number 0419 005 577.
Road closures will be listed on the Emergency Vic website. Council will also update road closures on its website and Facebook page
VicRoads will provide information on the closure and condition of major roads and highway information. VicRoads can be contacted on 13 11 70.
Roads and highways of major concern are expected to be:
- Pyrenees Highway,
- Wimmera Highway,
- Ballarat Maryborough Road,
- Maryborough Dunolly Road,
- Bendigo Maryborough Road,
- Maryborough St Arnaud Road,
- Lexton Talbot Road,
- McCallums Creek Road,
- Dunach Eddington Road (known locally as Landrigan Road from Craigie cross roads to Carisbrook),
- Bucknall Street, Carisbrook,
- Carisbrook Eddington Road.
Residents are advised to check on elderly neighbours, watch local news and SES pages, listen to Local ABC Radio for the latest updates and keep mobile phones charged.
READ MORE: Road closures in Central Victoria
UPDATE 2.37PM: THE interim chief executive officer of the Central Goldfields shire shares the community’s concerns about flood water drainage in Carisbrook.
The council has budgeted $2 million to build a ‘major levee’ in the township, along the Pyrenees Highway, and works have been completed at Pleasant Street and Wills Street.
But community members believe it’s the final piece of the project that would have the most impact on flood water in their town.
Central Goldfields interim chief executive Vince Haining said the completed works should see a reduction in overland water flows that would otherwise affect the community.
But he said residents were ‘quite right to be concerned’ about the forecast weather and its potential impact on the town.
“We share their concern,” Mr Haining said.
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He said the project hadn’t been held up.
“It’s just a process we need to go through,” Mr Haining said.
The final design of the western levee has yet to be confirmed.
“We want to make certain whatever we expend and where we expend it will do the job,” Mr Haining said.
He said it would ‘not be acceptable’ to spend $2 million on a levee, only to find it wasn’t effective.
“We want to make certain the design we go with will work,” Mr Haining said.
Two creeks meet near the Pyrenees Highway in Carisbrook: Tullaroop Creek, and McCallum Creek.
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The Tullaroop Reservoir, near Carisbrook, was at about 60 per cent capacity on Thursday morning.
Carisbrook Fire Brigade Captain Ian Boucher said it was roughly similar to the level prior to the floods of January 2011.
But he said the community’s experiences of flooding had already proven useful in responding to the potential for flooding.
“We’ll make decisions based on the worst case scenario,” he said.
Story continues below weather radar image.
EARLIER: CENTRAL Goldfields authorities are preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best as the state braces for flooding.
Preparations are underway for sandbagging in Carisbrook, which was devastated by flooding in 2011.
Carisbrook Fire Brigade Captain Ian Boucher said a community alerting system was up and running in case of an emergency.
"We're preparing for the worst and hoping for the best," he said.
Sirens will sound for five consecutive minutes if there is an impending emergency.
Information will be available to residents from the fire station about the situation.
The sirens will sound again to indicate a need to evacuate.
Carisbrook Disaster Recovery Committee member and former Central Goldfields councillor Helen Broad said emergency services and the shire were on standby.
"We've just got to sit and wait now and see what happens," she said.
"The number one priority is making sure the community is safe."
No community meetings have been planned for Carisbrook, as yet.
Ms Broad was mindful not to further alarm the township's residents, who were already panicked by the prospect of another major flood.
More than 250 homes were inundated in January 2011, and most of the township was evacuated.
Central Goldfields Shire interim chief executive Vince Haining said the council was working with emergency services to prepare for a 'significant' flood event.
The shire's emergency management group is set to meet today in Maryborough to discuss how the forecasted weather will affect the shire.
Mr Haining mentioned Talbot and Dunolly among the communities of particular concern for flood risk.
Emma D'Agostino
Covering general news and Bendigo council.
Covering general news and Bendigo council.
