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by IANS |
Melbourne, Oct 17 (IANS) Thousands of houses may be inundated, and tens of thousands of residences might be either inundated or isolated as flood continues to wreak havoc in Australia's state of Victoria.
According to the latest update of incidents and warnings from Victoria's emergency department on Monday, there are over 50 warnings across the state including more than 10 evacuation orders that are mainly for the state's northern part, reports Xinhua news agency.
Residents in areas such as Shepparton and Murchison were warned as "it's too late to leave" and to "move to higher ground".
Australian Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt told national broadcaster ABC News on Monday that emergency authorities would be kept busy as conditions continually change.
"This is a very serious situation. The reports I'm getting, we are could be looking up to 9,000 homes inundated in northern Victoria and potentially close to about 34,000 homes in Victoria either inundated or isolated."
Southeastern parts of Australia including the state of Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania have experienced a flooding emergency as heavy rainfall hit the states since last week.
A 71-year-old man in Victoria was found deceased in floodwaters in the state's north last Saturday.
The Victorian government announced on Monday a A$351 million ($219 million) package funding to help families affected by the flooding, as well as rebuilding damaged roads and clean-up efforts.
