Melbourne, Victoria weather: Daniel Andrews announces disaster payments

Residents in Victoria forced to evacuate their homes due to the flood crisis will be offered one-off emergency payments, Premier Daniel Andrews has announced.

Inner-city Melbourne residents were ordered to evacuate their homes on Friday, along with hundreds in regional areas inundated with floodwaters.

At least 500 homes across the state have been flooded.

Affected adults will each be eligible for a $560 payment with an additional $280 per child.

‘It’s about getting people through that immediate challenge where they’re not in their home because their property has been flooded,’ Mr Andrews told ABC’s Virginia Trioli on Friday.

Residents and children affected by Victoria’s flood crisis  are eligible for one-off payments . Pictured is a child in the flooded town of Rochester on Friday

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‘(The payment) deals with food, shelter, medicines and things of that nature.’

Affected residents can already apply as of 9am Friday.

‘We’ll put extra staff on and get those payments made as quickly as we can,’ Mr Andrews said.

He hopes the Mickleham quarantine facility cab be reopened to accommodate flood victims with his staff in contact with Commonwealth officials.

The Melbourne suburb of Maribyrnong, Benalla, Wedderburn, Seymour, Carisbook and Rochester are the areas of biggest concern for authorities on Friday.

Affected residents can apply for the one-off payment here.