VicRoads and Telstra have issued warnings of advice ahead of what is forecast to be the region and state’s worst rain event in more than 20 years.
The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning current for heavy rain across Victoria. Widespread flooding was likely from Friday onwards.
The Bureau is expecting six-hourly rain rates of over 100mm over several parts of the state, stretching from the Grampians and Horsham in the west to the northeast and Melbourne.
Stawell is expected to receive about 70mm between Thursday night and Sunday.
A flood warning is current for the Wimmera River.
A VicRoads spokesperson said roadworks are expected to be impacted by the forecast heavy rainfall, these included the Western Highway near Horsham and Daylesford-Malmsbury Road.
“There is the potential for potholes during and after the rain event with speeds to be reduced to 40km/h at each site,” they said.
“Possible flash flooding locations on the Western Highway include Dadswells Bridge and Kiata.
“VicRoads reminds all road users of the importance of taking extreme care in difficult driving conditions.
“When the bad weather arrives consider whether your travel is essential and avoid using the road network if possible.”
If you do have to drive there are some simple steps to improve road safety:
- Wet weather should be a prompt to slow down on the roads.
- Don't walk, ride or drive through flood water. You wouldn’t drive through flames, so don’t drive through floods.
- Cars can float in as little as 15cm of water – that’s water the depth of an average pen. Watch the video here http://15tofloat.com.au/
- Leave a greater distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front.
- Turn your headlights on.
- Be alert for other road users who may be difficult to see, such as motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians.
- If the rain is too heavy for your wipers to cope, the best course of action is to pull over and wait until visibility improves.
- Make sure your car is safe and in a roadworthy condition – in particular, check tyres, windscreen wipers and brake lights. Most importantly – be patient.
If you see any problems on the roads you should report them to the VicRoads Traffic Management Centre on 13 11 70 (open 24/7). In an emergency call Triple Zero (000).
For the latest information visit traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au, download the VicTraffic app, follow @VicTraffic on Twitter or check the VicTraffic Facebook page.
Telstra is planning ahead for the wild weather impact and is encouraging residents to brace for the impact storms and potential flooding may have on their telecommunications services.
Telstra Area general manager Steve Tinker said Telstra was taking all steps possible to protect its network infrastructure.
“We understand how important connectivity is for our customers, particularly during times of emergency,” he said.
“We have emergency plans in place that are tailored to individual states and their specific emergency threat types, from floods to bushfires and cyclones.
“We also have a range of plans we can implement in the event of extreme weather disrupting services, including the use of drones to inspect our network infrastructure and provide rapid assessments of any damage, to help us restore services faster.
“A range of portable base stations can be deployed to provide temporary telecommunications during emergency situations and our teams will be on the ground as soon as it is safe to do so - working hard to maintain services for our customers and restore any disrupted services.”
