Staying positive: Paul Wroe and Donna West are staying at Shepparton’s McIntosh Centre after being evacuated from their home.
Photo by
Nicola Ceccato
Evacuations to relief centres have been under way with people from across Shepparton and Mooroopna taking residence in the crisis accommodation at the McIntosh Centre.
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As of Sunday morning at 6am, the McIntosh Centre was accommodating 162 people.
Among them were Mooroopna’s Aspen Lodge Caravan Park residents Donna West and Paul Wroe, who the News spoke to on Friday night.
Both Ms West and Mr Wroe were evacuated Thursday night from their individual homes.
“Just after midnight the owner was knocking at my door,” Ms West said.
“I was out of there in 20 minutes because we’d already been given notice that we might have to leave the day before so I had packed a bag already.
“I didn’t think it would be that quick, I thought it would be later today or something.”
Aspen Lodge is situated near the banks of the Goulburn River near Kaieltheban Park on Lawson St. As the river started rising, it flowed over into the nearby reserves and ponds in Aspen Lodge, creating a dire situation for the caravan park.
The water rising from behind: Aspen Lodge Caravan Park in Mooroopna before residents were evacuated.
Photo by
Contributed
“I was panicking when they first knocked on the door. I looked straight out and I could see the water which wasn’t quite gushing at the time but it was close,” Ms West said.
“We just had to pack up and leave,” Mr Wroe said.
“I’ve been through two house fires and three floods so I’ve lost everything but in the end everything is replaceable and it’s your life that matters more,” he said.
“We’ve just got to wait. Either we’re going to have something to go back to or not,” Ms West said.
Wally Giddins and his nephew Dylan May were also among those evacuated to the McIntosh Centre.
They both left their home on The Boulevard alongside their two dogs and cat early on Friday evening.
“Every so often we kept getting updates saying evacuate now and I thought I don’t want to be woke up in the early hours of the morning with someone knocking on my door,” Mr Giddins said.
“We just went around and moved things up as high as we could then got out of there.”
To follow what’s happening with the floods in the area go to the Shepp News blog below for live updates.
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