Wellington Shire Council's vision is for happy people, healthy environment and thriving communities.
After Hours Emergency
1300 366 244Remember to never drive in flood water!
Wellington Shire is home to the Thomson, Macalister, Avon, Latrobe, Albert, Tarra and Mitchell Rivers, Merrimans Creek and the Gippsland Lakes. The Thomson Reservoir, Glenmaggie Weir and Cowwarr Weir are located in the Thomson / Macalister rivers and can impact flooding in areas below the reservoirs.
Flooding can close roads and cause communities or vehicles to become isolated. They can cause injury and damage to people, property, livestock, essential services such as water and sewer mains, electricity and telecommunications infrastructure, and the local economy.
Being prepared can help you stay safe, reduce damage and save money.
Households and businesses should prepare for floods by having a home emergency plan, up-to-date insurance, an emergency contact list and an emergency kit.
Our Municipal Flood Emergency Plan has been developed by a committee of expert representatives from VICSES, Wellington Shire Council, West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, Southern Rural Water, VicRoads, Victoria Police and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
The Plan ensures that individuals and government agencies within our Shire are aware of potential flood risks and understand their roles and responsibilities and details arrangements for the mitigation (prevention and preparedness), response to and recovery from floods within our Shire.
Information that you may find useful within this Plan includes:
Low to moderate flooding is a relatively frequent event in our Shire. Such events are well within the capability and capacity of local emergency services. It is major or widespread flood events that can be more challenging and are dealt with in the Plan.
The Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) together with the Wellington Flood Management Planning Committee, have developed a number of Local Flood Guides for residents and businesses to explain local flood risks and advise on how to prepare for and respond to flood events:
The VicEmergency website and App provides emergency warnings and information for all hazards.
During a flood emergency, the SES may use sandbags to reduce the risks associated with flood. If you want to get sandbags to protect your property, contact the SES.
Never drive on flooded roads - a car can float in just 15cm of water. For up-to-date information about road closures visit VicTraffic.
Power outages may severely impact your ability to respond to and recover from an emergency.
Victoria has very reliable electricity supplies, but sometimes power outages can occur.
The most important thing during a power outage is to stay safe. Keep clear of fallen power lines and keep others away. Be careful with temporary generators. And if there has been significant damage to your property, make sure a licensed electrician checks that it's safe to turn your power back on.
AusNet Services has a webpage dedicated to assisting residents to deal with power outages at Outage Tracker.
For general safety information about what to do after the flood, including advice about potential health hazards, visit the VicEmergency website.
To see more information about the local flood recovery process, visit our Relief and Recovery page.
West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (WGCMA) and partners have prepared the West Gippsland Floodplain Management Strategy to help communities better understand flood behaviour and flood risk so that you can take the necessary actions to minimise the risk to yourself and your property.
The WGCMA regularly undertakes Flood Studies to help us understand flooding better and improve land use planning and emergency response to floods.
Flood studies have been completed for Rosedale and Seaspray and there are flooding animations for both these towns as well as the Macalister River, Loch Sport and the Thomson River.
For information on property zoning and overlays (including flood), please visit our Property Zoning and Overlays page.