Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has said the state government may have to use the purpose-built Mickleham COVID-19 quarantine centre to shelter people affected by the floods.
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"Some of the numbers we are talking about for instance at the Goulburn Valley (in northern Victoria), would I think far exceed the number of hotels that might be available.
"Having an option for people, whether it be for a short stay, longer stay because of this ground being so wet, record rainfall and more rain coming, so people might be out of their home for a longer period of time than [with] with other floods," Mr Andrews said.
"Let's hope we don't need to put anybody there (at Mickleham) but we're going to have it ready so that can be used for that."
Mr Andrews said people forced to leave their homes can access one-off payments of $560 per adult and $280 per child to meet immediate and essential needs, like emergency shelter, food, clothing or personal items.
At 7:30am on Friday the Victorian SES reported they had responded to over 2,660 requests for assistance in the past twenty four hours.
Bureau of Meteorology Senior Meteorologist Diana Eadie says the next seven days will not be as "dramatic" as the rain has been this week but it was too soon to say for certain.
Victoria, Tasmania and NSW continue to take the brunt of the rain with residents evacuated as flood waters continue to rise.
Here is a snapshot of how things are looking across the three states:
Victoria
Victorian communities remain on high alert for dangerous flooding, with residents in six towns urged to leave homes and get to higher ground.
Despite the easing rain, flood risk remains over coming days, with widespread moderate to major flooding expected across central and northern Victoria.
Evacuation orders are in place for Rochester along the Campaspe River, Carisbrook near Maryborough and Seymour on the Goulburn River
Residents have also been instructed to leave at Maribyrnong on the Maribyrnong River, the city of Benalla on the Broken River and at Wedderburn following a breach at Skinners Flat Reservoir.
Strong, fast moving water from the dam a metre deep was expected to course through Wedderburn township via the Calder Highway, authorities said on Friday morning.
People in Rochester were told to abandon homes as floodwaters rapidly rose and were likely to inundate the area from early Friday. The Campaspe was slated to peak in the afternoon.
Emergency relief centres have been set up close to Rochester, Carisbrook and Seymour.
Those along the Campaspe from Lake Eppalock to Barnadown have also been advised to get to higher ground, while an emergency warning has been issued for Seven Creeks to Euroa.
Watch and act alerts urging people to stay indoors are widespread across Victoria.
Major flood warnings were issued for the Loddon River upstream of Laanecoorie on Friday morning, as well as the Goulburn River, the Barwon River and the Wimmera River.
The Yarra river in Melbourne has also risen significantly, cutting off bike paths around Richmond.
Emergency services have urged people to stay off the roads in Melbourne unless absolutely necessary, with floodwaters blocking traffic in Melbourne's inner west.
"Do not attempt to drive through floodwater - it could be the last decision you make. Vic SES volunteers have already responded to 119 flood rescues since 09:00am yesterday, with motorists continuing to drive into floodwater, risking their own lives and those of our emergency service personnel.
"It can take as little as 15cm for a small vehicle to float," the Vic SES spokesperson said.
Areas north of the Great Dividing Range were among the heaviest hit by the rain through Wednesday and Thursday and more central areas also saw significant falls, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
Between 9am and 6pm on Thursday, Pyalong recorded 62 millimetres and Avalon Station saw 60mm.
While Strathbogie North also recorded a 58mm dump on Thursday, it had copped 187mm since Wednesday morning.
The big wet was starting to clear out of western Victoria on Thursday night and forecasters predict conditions will improve for the state's central parts and then into the east on Friday.
Communities in the potential impact zones at Creswick, and on the Maribyrnong River, have been door knocked by emergency service.
"Be prepared to Bag it, Block it, Lift belongings and have a plan to leave," a Vic SES spokesperson said.
Despite this, volumes of water are yet to make their way downstream through river systems.
Earlier on Thursday, Victorian SES Chief Operations Officer Tim Wiebusch said Seymour was facing its highest flood level since 1974.
There was potential for 187 properties to be inundated and a further 279 to be isolated, he told reporters.
Authorities expected up to 700 properties in Rochester to be isolated by Friday and Shepparton to experience its worst flood in almost three decades on Saturday afternoon, with up to 600 properties isolated.
The SES is reporting there is a missing person at Newbridge, west of Bendigo.
Mostly dry conditions are forecast for Monday and Tuesday but flooding impacts will continue.
One-off payments for people forced to evacuate due to floods are available at emergencypayments.dffh.vic.gov.au.
NSW
Several inland New South Wales rivers are currently near or above major flood level, and many will remain at major flood level for an extended period.
Towns currently impacted by major flooding include Forbes, Wee Waa, Warren Town, Nanami, Jemalong and Barham.
Rain will ease across NSW as a cold front heads away from the east coast with clear skies to begin appearing by the weekend.
Hundreds of people were ordered by the State Emergency Service on Thursday to evacuate parts of Forbes in central western NSW by 8pm before major flooding hit the area. The Lachlan River is expected to peak today at 10.6 metres.
Moderate flooding also affected Wagga Wagga after the Murrumbidgee River peaked on Thursday morning.
A man died on Wednesday in the NSW Central West after being trapped in his car due to rising waters.
The search for man believed to be missing in NSW floodwaters is in its fourth day. The search is focusing on the property of the 63-year old man at Lachlan Valley Way at Hillston and the nearby Lachlan River about three hours north west of Wagga Wagga.
A deep low-pressure system is combining with a deep tropical air mass, and forecast to produce areas of heavy rainfall over southern parts of the Lower Western and Riverina Districts, and onto the western slopes of the Alpine region overnight.
The system will also bring gusty alpine winds.
Flood warnings are current for catchments across southern NSW. Locations which may be affected include Albury, Tumbarumba, Deniliquin, Hay, Broken Hill, Wentworth and Balranald.
Although clear skies are on the horizon, the fortnight ahead will be soggy with above-median rainfall (greater than 80 per cent chance) on the cards for large parts of the eastern two-thirds of Australia.
Tasmania
The Severe Weather Warning for heavy rainfall and winds across northern Tasmania has been cancelled but rivers are still rising as floodwaters move downstream through Friday and across the weekend.
The weather system that has brought heavy rain, has cleared to the east into the Tasman Sea.
A Flood Watch and Act - Prepare now was issued for Kindred to Leith and surrounds by Tasmania SES early Friday morning. River level rises are occurring throughout the Forth River catchment and Lake Gairdner is spilling. Further river rises are possible with forecast rainfall and upstream flow arriving.
Evacuations orders were issued on Thursday evening for communities along sections of the swollen Mersey and Meander rivers in the state's northwest.
The Mersey River is at a major flooding level this morning. The water level at Latrobe Bridge is 4.3 metres and rising and predicted to reach 4.6 metres later this morning.
The Great Lakes area in the state's central north topped the rainfall tally with 220 millimetres in a 24-hour window, while records were broken in several locations.
Authorities have warned river peaks in some parts could reach levels seen in mid-2016 when flooding claimed the lives of three people and caused $180 million worth of damage.
Five people and their animals were rescued from a property at Liffey, southwest of Launceston, on Thursday, while the SES has received more than 100 calls for assistance.
The flood threat had eased at Railton on Friday morning, with affected residents advised they can start to return to their properties if safe to do so. The Tasmanian SES have issued "reduced threat, return safely" flood advice for the town.
Tasmania Police has urged people to avoid travelling unnecessarily and to not drive through floodwaters.
- Australian Associated Press
