Floodwaters from Lake Glenmaggie are now directly impacting townships downstream, with the town of Newry being flooded out this morning.

Footage from the Gippsland town shows paddocks completely underwater, and the ABC has reported that homes in the area were being flooded.

This comes after evacuation orders were put out yesterday afternoon for the townships of Newry, Tinamba and Tinamba West. The State Emergency Service (SES) estimates that around 130 properties in the area could be impacted by flooding.

SES Agency Commander Mark Cattell told ABC Victorian Mornings that the flood should reach its peak by midday today, and that evacuated residents should be able to return to their homes by midday tomorrow.

“They’re still releasing some out of Glenmaggie [Weir] to relieve any pressure on the infrastructure here,” he said.

Southern Rural Water (SRW), responsible for Lake Glenmaggie Weir, has defended itself from criticism by locals that they were unresponsive to the lake’s flooding.

Newry local and dairy farmer Steve Dwyer told ABC Victorian Mornings that there was “no attempt” to lower water levels at the weir.

Meanwhile, SRW Managing Director Cameron Fitzgerald said that models based on regional rainfall data were used to determine how much water to release overnight.

“The models aren’t wrong; we use the best available information that we have … And then of course, there are variations in what actually happens, where the rain falls in the particular catchment, and how that flows,” he said.

“Unquestionably the dam being there has reduced the amount of flooding downstream.”

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said that teams would head in after floodwaters had peaked to assess the damage.

“They’ve not been able to get in and do that assessment yet because the floodwaters continue to rise and a number of roads remain closed in the local community,” she said.

An emergency relief centre for those affected by the floods has been reopened in Sale’s Gippsland Regional Sports Complex, just days after it was being used for bushfire relief.

According to Victoria’s Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes, nine people have accessed the centre since yesterday, and there were no injuries or rescues reported overnight.

Evacuation orders are still in place and will be updated on the Vic Emergency website and app as conditions change.

Photo: yellow caution wet road sign on gray concrete road by Phillip Flores available HERE and used under a Creative Commons licence. The photo has not been modified.