Environment

Flooding in River Murray could be SA’s worst since 1956 

The South Australian Government says the floodwater peak is due in Renmark towards the end of December remaining consistent with previous forecast.

The River Murray flood emergency is expected to be the worst since 1956 with more than 1100 properties currently affected with the Department of Environment and Water now providing daily height updates for population centres.

As the peak moves closer to the South Australian border, DEW is now in a better position to forecast when peak water levels are expected to arrive at different locations along the river.

Effective from today, the peak is expected in Renmark between 24-31 December, in Berri between 25 December and 5 January, in Waikerie between 1-12 January, in Swan Reach between 5-16 January and Murray Bridge between 6-17 January.

It’s anticipated 4000 homes will go under by the end of the month, including 255 businesses. 

The South Australian Government says the floodwater peak is due in Renmark towards the end of December at a level between 190 and 220 gigalitres a day – about half the amount of water in the Sydney Harbour.

The height of the river has surpassed flooding in 1931, which is higher than the 1974 flood, but not as high as in 1956.

An emergency evacuation warning was issued for the River Murray town of Walker Flat last night. A watch and act message applies to several nearby locations.

The State Emergency Service (SES) has indicated the much larger township of Mannum could soon be included in the watch and act zone.

“The anticipated peak timeline continues to be in that Christmas, New Year period for the upper Riverland communities, and then it progresses as time evolves,” says Premier Malinauskas. 

“We are on the current data that we have available seeing that the 1931 flood levels will be more comparable to this event than the 1974 levels, which were lower than the ’31 levels. But all the forecasts continue to show that it will be well below the 1956 levels. 

“Naturally we continue to monitor all this very closely including ongoing events that happen further in the catchment area in terms of rainfalls … because of course we don’t know what weather events will occur upstream in the catchment, whether or not there’s a tropical cyclone during the course of the summer.” 

The SA Housing Authority has established Emergency Relief Centres in Berri and Mannum where the public can access information and apply for various forms of support, including financial relief and emergency accommodation.

More than 22,000 bed nights of accommodation in River Murray communities have been booked by the State Government which can be used to provide short-term emergency housing for flood affected residents who have nowhere else to stay.

Preparations in Mannum, which has a population of about 4000, have been ongoing for weeks, and include sandbagging and levee works in the main street to construct what locals are calling the “great wall of Mannum”. 

People wanting more information on the River Murray flood event can call the River Murray hotline on 1800 362 361 anytime.

Visit the SES website for further updates.

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