Thousands of Victorians without power will be eligible for prolonged outage payments of up to $1680 per week as a state energy emergency is declared.
Acting Premier James Merlino announced the new funding today after 3000 residents of the Dandenong Ranges ravaged by catastrophic storms were told they could be without power for the next three weeks.
Energy provider AusNet said nine suburbs including Ferny Creek, Kalorama, Mount Dandenong, Olinda, Sassafras, Sherbrooke, The Basin, Tremont and Upwey may be waiting for electricity until July 10.
LIVE UPDATES: Infected nurse worked at second hospital in 'operational error'
There are about 7000 households still without power across Victoria.
Dandenong Ranges residents without power from today will be eligible for the weekly payment.
They are in addition to the emergency re-establishment payments announced on Sunday for households where their home is uninhabitable or inaccessible for more than seven days.
"That's around $580 per adult and then payments for children so it's up to $1680," Mr Merlino said.
"The depth of winter and weeks and weeks without power, this is an unprecedented emergency.
"We've got tree debris that would fill the MCG here in the Dandenongs.
READ MORE: Thousands in Melbourne without power told not to drink tap water
"We've got massive trees lying all over the place."
AusNet earlier made the announcement about the ongoing power outage via social media.
"The initial estimates provided to customers were wrong," the post said.
"We are deeply sorry.
"We now understand the extent of the damage and scale of the recovery and repair ahead."
READ MORE: COVID-positive nurse worked at multiple sites
The news came after residents in Kallista, Sherbrooke and The Patch were yesterday told by Yarra Valley Water they could not drink tap water.
The advice is expected to remain in place until Saturday morning when an update on water tests is available.
There will be further requests for ADF support to assist with the clean-up and recovery effort of storm-ravaged regions, with three out of five planning logistics officers at the State Control Centre already today.
Bushfire Recovery Victoria will be responsible for the coordination of the mammoth clean-up.
"I know how heartbreaking the damage is in the hills, how significantly this has impacted individuals, families, households right across the Dandenong Ranges," Mr Merlino said.
READ MORE: Cinema in quarantine after COVID-positive person watched movie
"We need to do the assessment of the damage, do the immediate work to support communities, but this is going to be a challenge for many, many weeks."
Significant cracks have been identified in the Yallourn power station mine in the Latrobe Valley as a result of disastrous flooding.
"There is a risk to the mine being flooded and the impact of that would be significant," Mr Merlino said.
"We need to take swift action and the best way to take swift action is declaring this energy emergency.
"This means that remediation works in terms of dealing with the risks of flooding can happen as soon as possible."
Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio said "urgent repairs" needed to be made to the mine but in order for that to occur, floodwaters surrounding the mine needed to be relieved.
"The additional pressure on the mine walls need to be relieved, and relieved urgently, and that is why this morning, as the Acting Premier has indicated, we have declared an energy emergency under the Electricity Energy Act of Victoria," she said.
"What that will enable Energy Australia to do is undertake emergency works to the mine walls. It will enable them to divert the river water away from the embankment and its proximity to the mine walls."
She warned the floods from the river could "breach at any moment with very little notice".
"The risk is very high," she said.
A total of 119 properties in Victoria have been deemed uninhabitable due to storm damage and 112 have been classed as severely damaged, but believed to be habitable.
Ms D'Ambrosio said the state had copped two years' worth of storm damage in just two days.
"The extent of the damage has been unprecedented in terms of our electricity infrastructure."
Mr Merlino said the power outage payments would be paid to people as quickly as possible.
"We are looking at what is the swiftest way to get payments directly to people," he said.
Kallista local Lee Burgess earlier told Today the emergency response in the Dandenongs had been handled poorly.
"Our first responders, the local SES, the local police are just phenomenal, but it's hard to see a coordinated response at the moment," he said.
"We're just not hearing it, or seeing it."
Kallista Deli and Cafe owner Richard Harrop said the storm disaster was just another blow to local businesses already hard-hit by devastating coronavirus lockdowns.
"Our industry has suffered enough over the last 18 months with so many lockdowns," he told Today.
"Now we have a situation where we will be without power for another three weeks or potentially longer.
"We need the government now to put something in place to bring people back to this area."
More than 6000 requests for help had been made in the last week in the Dandenong North and Yarra Ranges alone.
READ MORE: COVID restrictions ease in Victoria as vaccinated nurse tests positive
Two lives were lost due to flooding caused by the severe storms last week.
*****@
*****@
*****@
*****@
*****@
*****@
*****@
*****@
*****@
*****@
*****@
