The struggle to keep rising waters at bay along the Echuca flood embankment came to an end last week, when the 'great wall' of sandbags, three kilometres long and two metres high, built by the entire local community, dramatically collapsed, affecting hundreds of homes.
In fact, the level of the Campaspe River reached 94.96 metres AHD, two centimetres above predictions. Emergency Management Victoria has already announced that it is unlikely, but not impossible, that the flood waters, currently at their highest level in more than a century, will rise further.
Meanwhile, life in the city centre seems to have slowly returned to normal, with many shopkeepers having removed the sandbags from their windows, ready to finally start up again, while a hundred or so flood victims are still staying in the former anti-Covid quarantine centre in Mickleham.
Richard Perri, owner of Roma Pizza, a historic restaurant on Hare Street in Echuca, had to close the doors of his business for four days, due to orders from local emergency services.
"We placed the furniture on the tables and protected the restaurant with sandbags in front of the door,” he said.
“Fortunately, the floods did not damage our restaurant, but we were able to support our fellow citizens during the days of closure by going down the river to build the 'wall'. My partner is also part of the local emergency team and assisted the residents affected by the floods directly in their homes, helping them to evacuate.”
Despite continuing unfavourable temperatures, and the rain that continues to strike the area on and off, Perri said he has “felt a certain sense of normalcy again” since he reopened the doors of his restaurant.
Richard Perri's restaurant 'Roma Pizza' in Echuca closed for four days to avoid flooding.
"Unfortunately, these are natural disasters, and we have no power to anticipate or predict the actions of Mother Nature. The state government could only raise the embankments along the river and place them in the correct position. If there is a next time, we can only try to do what we can,” he continued.
“Echuca is a country town, perhaps among the largest, yet there has been no lack of extraordinary solidarity from everyone.”
Meanwhile, state emergency services have continued to ask the citizens of Victoria to avoid flood-affected areas and to be mindful of damaged roads as they prepare to travel for the Melbourne Cup celebrations. At least 430 roads are still closed, while many sections of road have suffered extensive damage.
Richard Perri joined the Echuca community in building a 'big wall' to protect homes.
Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said that there are still more than fifty emergency and evacuation notices in place, while Allyson Lardner, deputy fire chief for the Department of Environment, announced that many parks will remain closed due to flood damage, particularly in the northern part of the state.
She stated that for the current long weekend, it is necessary to visit Parks Victoria's website to check whether green areas are still open to the public.
“Camping areas may also be restricted,” she wrote in an official statement.
In the Melbourne metropolitan area, the Moonee Valley City Council has resumed clean-up work, after stopping heavy waste collection for a few days due to extreme weather conditions. At least 1,500 tonnes of waste material have been removed from the area, while residents continue to take stock of the damage caused by the dramatic floods.
Even in the suburb of Maribyrnong, which was particularly hard hit by the emergency, there was no lack of solidarity and generosity from the neighbourhood. The owners of Nicolosi Pizzeria, a popular Italian food truck, decided to offer traditional pizza, arancini, zeppole and doughnuts to their fellow citizens in need.
"During the lockdown dictated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to close the doors of our business, as all events were tragically cancelled; after deciding to park our food truck along the river, the Moonee Valley community overwhelmed us with its exemplary generosity," said Amber Nicolosi.
"We wanted to reciprocate with a small gesture, serving perhaps a hundred of those same people who supported us at a very critical time.”
Amber and Beniamino Nicolosi, with their three sons Sebastiano, Luca and Orlando, have finally returned to their house on the Maribyrnong River, which is about a hundred years old and whose foundations were laid higher than street level.
"The water only reached the front garden, about one and a half metres high; we were lucky and saved everything. Obviously, during the first week, we moved to my mother's house, in order to save the supplies for our business,” Nicolosi continued.
“The roads are now cleaned up and the Moonee Valley City Council is still present, going to the site every day to check that everything is safe and that the ground is not contaminated; they are doing a great job.”
