Homes are flooding in eastern Victoria on Thursday morning as urgent evacuations were ordered a day after the region faced bushfire threats.

Massive rainfall has led to several flood warnings for communities across the Gippsland region as rivers and lakes rapidly rise.

The most urgent warnings overnight were for towns downstream from the swollen Lake Glenmaggie, and along Macalister River.

Residents were told to “leave immediately” in Tinamba, Tinamba West, Newry, Mewburn Park, Bellbird Corner and Riverslea near Maffra.

The towns are at risk as “significant” inflows pour into Lake Glenmaggie and releases increased to above 58,000 megalitres a day.

Properties began flooding in Newry on Thursday morning and residents were told it was not safe to return.

“We estimate up to 130 properties may be impacted by the event, hence we issued an emergency warning late yesterday afternoon which was renewed during the early hours of the morning,” Victoria SES deputy chief officer David Baker told ABC TV.

“Floodwaters downstream of Lake Glenmaggie … are impacting communities in the Newry area and within the hour, will be impacting communities in Tinamba and Tinamba West.”

A relief centre for evacuating residents has been opened at Gippsland Regional Sports Complex in Sale.

A major flood warning was also issued to residents along the Macalister River downstream of Lake Glenmaggie, with locals told to move to higher ground.

Total rainfall in that area was 150 millimetres in the 24 hours to 9am on Wednesday and further rain was forecast into Thursday.

The river was at 5.75 metres and rising on Wednesday afternoon.

A major flood warning has been issued for Wonnangatta River.

The following “watch and act” advice is in place:

• Macalister River upstream of Lake Glenmaggie
• Thomson River (Cowwarr Weir to Wandocka) and downstream of Wandocka
• Mitchell River to Glenaladale and downstream of Glenaladale
• Ovens Rivers downstream of Rocky Point between Whorouly to Wangaratta
• King River
• Seven Creeks downstream of Euroa
• Broken River to Benalla
• Yarra River from Millgrove to Coldstream

Tweet from @vicsesnews

The State Emergency Service received more than 300 calls in the 24 hours to 2pm on Wednesday as rivers continued to rise and damaging winds lashed outer Melbourne and Gippsland.

State duty officer Shane McBride warned further evacuation orders may have to be issued.

“It’s really hard to say what’s it going to look like in the next 24 hours but there is more rain expected,” McBride said.

Warnings for fires at Briagolong and Loch Sport were downgraded to advice level, with the focus firmly on flood risk zones after about 100 millimetres of rain fell in the area.

Watch-and-act alerts for flooding were issued across eastern Victoria for as far north as the King River at Cheshunt and as far south as the Latrobe River at Rosedale, near Traralgon.

Alerts were also issued for the Yarra River on the outskirts of Melbourne and the Goulburn River upstream of Lake Eildon.

The Bureau of Meteorology put Melbourne and most of the state’s east under flood watch with more rain expected.

Conditions were expected to ease from Thursday but flooding was tipped to last until the weekend.

Three homes lost

In NSW, easing conditions have allowed fire crews to start counting the homes lost on the southern coast after a large blaze rushed through.

Three homes were destroyed but it will take days to gain a full picture of the damage caused by bushfires on the NSW south coast.

Early assessments of the destruction by the Coolagolite fire began on Wednesday afternoon.

Rural Fire Service mapping showed the firefront passed over several residences in Cuttagee and Barragga Bay, south of tourist haven Bermagui.

Scattered showers and cooler weather helped bring the fire risk level down after scorching conditions a day earlier.

The blaze continued to burn near homes on Wednesday night after torching an area the size of Sydney Harbour in an afternoon.

However quick-acting locals had heeded emergency warnings and enacted their individual bushfire survival plans, Premier Chris Minns said.

Visiting an evacuation centre in Bega, he urged those travelling to the beach during the final week of school holidays to stay abreast of warnings.

“We want people to have fun, get into regional communities, spend money, have fun with their children but it’s important that you understand what those [bushfire] risks are,” Minns said.

“Be prepared for a horror summer.”

Evacuated residents, including about 65 people put up in caravan parks and motels, were asked to steer clear of the area until it was safe, Bega Valley mayor Russell Fitzpatrick said.

The sight of smoke also triggered mental health concerns nearly four years on from the devastating Black Summer bushfires.

Tweet from @NSWRFS

Early in 2020, Bermagui residents were forced to retreat to the water as bushfires surrounded the town in tinderbox conditions.

“We’re aware these problems may have been laying there from the 2019/20 fires and we want people to seek help,” Fitzpatrick said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who joined Minns in thanking emergency service workers in Bega and Bermagui, said he could “smell” the impact the fires had.

“That would be having a triggering response for people who went through such a traumatic time during the summer of 2019/20,” he said.

Damp conditions that swept the fire ground early on Wednesday were expected to return on Thursday with rain highly likely.

Conditions also improved in many other parts of NSW as crews battled 56 bush and grass fires, down from more than 90 on Tuesday.

There will be no total fire bans across NSW on Thursday with below-average maximum temperatures forecast.

Greater Sydney, Greater Hunter and some northern parts of the state are subject to high fire danger.

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-with AAP