EXHAUSTED south-west property owners and emergency crews are recovering from a two-day deluge which locals in some areas say is the worst in at least 70 years.
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With a repair bill likely to run into millions of dollars, Premier John Brumby has been urged to provide emergency funding to help councils and farmers deal with the crisis.
Rivers and dams overflowed, trees and branches were brought down, roads were closed and the power was cut as the torrential rain and strong gales cut their way across the south-west.
In yesterday's major developments:
- Roads across the district remained closed due to flood waters and major damage.
- Extra emergency crews were called to Port Fairy late yesterday to help sand bag homes with the Moyne River peaking at 4.3 metres.
- Construction workers at the Mortlake power station were evacuated as a precaution following flooding along Connewarren Lane.
- The driver of a milk tanker and a car were forced to sit the night out in their vehicles as large trees blocked the Great Ocean Road at Moonlight Heads.
- Dairy farmers were unable to milk their cows when the power was cut to their properties for up to 15 hours.
- Powercor crews battled to restore electricity with trucks negotiating flooded roadsides and paddocks to reach service lines.
- School bus services were cancelled or disrupted.
- Flood waters at the Cobden swimming pool were the highest in 80 years, covering the buildings and sending the solar blankets and frames floating.
While official rainfall figures from the Bureau of Meteorology show that Warrnambool recorded 55.6mm of rain in the 48 hours to 9am yesterday, Mortlake 73mm and Port Fairy 58mm, many locals reported much higher totals.
Weeaproinah in the Otways received 202mm for the period, with farmers in the Heytesbury area further west recording more than 110mm.
Anecdotal reports from a Allansford resident who backs onto the Hopkins River said the river level was at its highest since 1992 and was still rising.
The bridge at Grassmere was also under water for the first time in 20 years, locals said.
Connewarren Lane and Grassmere Road remained closed to traffic late yesterday, with other roads in the Moyne Shire at Hexham, Woolsthorpe, Willatook and Purnim able to be reopened.
Corangamite's transport system bore the brunt of the flooding with 16 roads declared impassable and closed to traffic.
Mayor Matt Makin yesterday called on the state government to provide urgent disaster relief funding.
He asked for $1.2 million to help the shire reconstruct its damaged road network and bridges and sought recovery grants for affected farming properties.
"I've spoken to people who have lived in this area for more than 70 years and they've said it's the worst flooding they've ever seen," Cr Makin said.
His call was echoed by former mayor and Member for Western Victoria John Vogels who said the flood response was imposing a very significant additional clean-up cost on south-west Victorian councils.
"The heavy rains over the past day have been welcomed by farmers and our catchments but have caused much damage," Mr Vogels said.
State Emergency Service regional officer Ian Carlton was supervising crews in Port Fairy yesterday where the water was lapping houses along Manifold and Griffith streets.
Mr Carlton said levels in the Moyne River had peaked at 4.3 metres at 5.30am but had subsided to 4.21 metres by late afternoon.
"There's still a lot of residual water laying around but the worst is over."
Flood warnings are still in place for the Moyne River today.