By Lewis Jackson and Renju Jose
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Residents in flood-hit Australian towns ramped up efforts to build levees and sandbag homes on Wednesday ahead of more rain, although authorities said the expected storms will be milder than last week’s, bringing relief as recovery operations begin.
Forecast rainfall across Victoria state is unlikely to trigger more major flooding, although parts of Australia’s east could receive up to 100 mm (4 inches) of rain over the next five days, roughly a tenth of a year’s total for some areas, the Bureau of Meteorology said.
“The expected rainfall over coming days is not expected to be anywhere near as widespread or as intense or as heavy, and as a result of that we’re not expecting a return to major flooding,” said Kevin Parkins, a meteorologist at the Bureau.
An intense weather system last week brought almost a month’s rain in two days across much of Victoria state, southern New South Wales (NSW) and northern parts of Tasmania, triggering flash flooding.
Police said a 65-year-old man was found dead in floodwaters in Victoria’s north on Wednesday, taking the total toll to two.
Flood waters are still rising around several inland towns in Australia’s two most populous states of NSW and Victoria, with officials urging residents to evacuate before they are cut off.
Residents in some areas, including the Victorian rural town of Echuca, are facing their second flooding in a week.
A dirt levee has been built in Echuca, about 250 km (155.3 miles) north of Melbourne, amid warnings the Murray, Australia’s largest river, could breach a near 30-year high later this week.
In the nearby town of Moama, across the state border in southern NSW, defence force personnel teamed up with residents to sand-bag homes.
Amid fears of renewed flooding, Grain Producers Australia said this year’s harvest was “on a knife’s edge”, echoing warnings from the government about the economic costs of flooding.
(Reporting by Lewis Jackson and Renju Jose; Editing by Stephen Coates)
