Wet bar: Rochester's historic Shamrock Hotel did not escape the flooding.
Right from the start, it seemed Rochester, and areas around it, were going to experience some of the worst flooding this extreme weather event had to offer.
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Sadly, on Saturday, October 15, it became deadly with the discovery of the body of a 71-year-old man in the back yard of his Rochester home.
The circumstances surrounding the man’s death will be the subject of a police report to the coroner, but it emphasised the warnings authorities constantly make about how dangerous floods can be.
As early as Wednesday, up to 40 houses were said to be in immediate danger and residents were getting prepared by collecting sandbags from the Rochester Recreation Reserve as an attempt to defend their homes.
Wet road: Webb Rd, Rochester, feeling the impact of the flooding event.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
With the knowledge of the 2011 floods still fresh in so many people’s minds, the town was not taking any chances.
The concern was caused by the forecast of heavy rain across the Campaspe River catchment on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, which was predicted to result in major flooding downstream of Lake Eppalock, which it did.
No play: Rochester Primary School's George St frontage was completely inundated with flood waters.
Rochester SES controller Tim Williams told TheNews that anywhere between 250 to 1000 homes could be inundated in Rochester, depending on the severity of flooding.
It was late on Thursday that residents of Rochester were told to evacuate immediately as the flood water rose rapidly.
A relief centre had been opened at Echuca United Football Netball Club in Echuca for those falling under the warning, with another opened later at the Bendigo Showgrounds as Echuca itself started to feel the impact of the same flood waters flowing downstream.
Those flood waters were due to arrive in Echuca on Sunday afternoon.
Early on Friday, the news came that this flood event was predicted to surpass the 2011 level of 115.4m, when 80 per cent of Rochester and its surrounding rural areas flooded.
Rochester is not yet through its flooding event, but Goulburn-Murray Water has advised that flows are receding at downstream Lake Eppalock.
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