Council gives flood updates
Mitchell Shire Council held an emergency flood meeting at Seymour College on Sunday.
The meeting heard from representatives of the SES, Victoria Police, council and the Victorian Department of Family, Fairness and Housing.
Issues raised included roads and access to properties, the co-ordination of volunteer efforts, rubbish disposal through council tip services and the community’s desire for a military presence to support the clean-up effort.
Council emphasised it was still in the emergency response phase and not yet the recovery phase.
On Sunday, the situation was still fluid. Water levels remained high, with many properties inaccessible.
With 30 of the original 150 people remaining at the emergency relief centre, council’s priority remained the immediate welfare of those displaced individuals.
Kayne Trust from the SES said floodwater could take seven or eight days to clear to a minor level where the town would no longer be affected, pending a more definitive forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology.
Victoria Police representative Clayton Munroe said officers remained on duty, and while the station had been impacted, they were still available for the community, operating out of Kilmore.
The Seymour police station re-opened at 3pm on Monday.
The question of assistance from the Australian Defence Force was raised, however the potential mobilisation of defence personnel was outside the scope of the council-run meeting.
The advice from both the SES and Victoria Police was to refrain from driving where possible and observe road closure signs due to the poor conditions of the roads.
An Emily St business owner raised concerns about road closures not being enforced, with the majority of roadblocks being unmanned. The police said that while they would put road closures in place, it was not their ongoing responsibility to man them in this context but a question for VicRoads.
The Seymour landfill site has been impacted by flooding. While still accepting deliveries, waste will be diverted to other locations. The tip will be operational five days a week, with extra hours in the evenings.
People were anxious to know if they would be charged tip fees, something council is discussing
with the Victorian Government.
Centralised volunteering with physical help is still being organised. There is an online donation
platform partnered with the government called
or you can phone the Salvos on 5735 8400.