Disaster assistance will target those affected by large-scale flooding with one-off personal hardships emergency grants of $400 for an individual and up to $1000 for a family for those forced from their homes.

Another two weeks emergency accommodation funding will be available for those unable to return to homes, with the package jointly funded by the Commonwealth and SA governments under Disaster Recovery Funding.

The nine local government areas eligible for disaster funding are Alexandrina Council, Berri Barmera Council, Coorong District Council, District Council of Karoonda East Murray, District Council of Loxton Waikerie, Mid Murray Council, Murray Bridge Council, Pastoral Unincorporated Area and Renmark Paringa Council.

Premier Malinauskas revealed details of the package a short time ago, including:

• Rental assistance – Up to $2,000 for singles, $5,000 for families who are not insured and are displaced from their homes by floodwaters and who do not have access to alternative accommodation
• Extension of the SA Housing Authority’s existing rental bond guarantee program to homeowners who are required to relocate from their principal place of residence due to flooding/long term power outage
• Early Business Closure Grant – $10,000 for non-employing businesses and $20,000 for employing businesses forced to close or cease trading prior to the flood
• Generator purchase grants of up to $500 for households, and $4,000 for businesses who are switched off from the electricity grid
• $3 million to meet the costs of relocating or re-establishing pumping/generator infrastructure for irrigators impacted by the floods
• $3 million for 3 rounds of time-limited $200 vouchers for accommodation/tourism experiences in river communities at a time to be determined by consultation with industry
• $1.1 million for a “Book Them Out” style Riverland marketing campaign
• $501,000 to reinforce houseboat moorings and pump stormwater
• $1 million in mental health support
• $2 million local preparedness fund to be administered by Alex Zimmerman
• A waiver of state government fees and charges for houseboat and tourism operators impacted by the floods
• $10 million towards remediation of critical state infrastructure including roads, ferry infrastructure, essential services

The Premier, Cabinet and SA Power Networks met with Riverland Murray mayors in Berri this morning to discuss emergency plans to tackle floods threatening 3500 to 4000 homes, hundreds of businesses and fruit growers fearing pumps will be turned off on multi-million-dollar crops.

Estimates of 175GL per day surging down the River Murray into South Australia in December led to a Major Emergency being declared by the Police Commissioner Grant Stevens.

Malinauskas also announced today that former police chief inspector Alex Zimmerman was appointed Recovery Coordinator as towns and communities along the River Murray ready homes, businesses and infrastructure already flooding at lower levels.

“We know the rising floodwaters will cause distress and damage to many South Australians’ lives and livelihoods, from families to tourism operators and other businesses,” he said.

“That’s why we have acted swiftly to establish disaster funding for those already dealing with the extra water that’s coming down the river, as well as those who may be impacted in the coming weeks.”

Malinauskas visited the Waikerie ferry which will be closed and moved tomorrow to a higher crossing point saying: “the whole state stands with the Riverland community”.

Premier Malinauskas and Minister Susan Close at the River Murray flooding meeting in Berri. Photo: supplied.

Mid Murray Mayor Simone Bailey said the state emergency declaration and support would help Mannum, which plans to build a levee through the main shopping street to protect businesses.

Malinauskas is meeting the council in Mannum this afternoon after plans were revealed at a town meeting last night to rip up bitumen in Randell Street precinct to build a levee 3m to 8m wide and up to 1.6m high designed to withstand river flow levels of 250GL.

Bailey said work starts tomorrow at the local caravan park.

“This will be built across the ferry crossing once the ferry stops running,” she said.

Engineering reports showed five shops in the lower section of the main street could not be protected by a levee, along with numerous homes and businesses along River Lane.

Bailey said a second levee would be built near Mary Anne Reserve to protect the rowing club, public toilets, a playground and important delivery infrastructure for businesses trading in the town.

“There were some mixed feelings (at the meeting), there was concern, anxiety, relief,” she said.

Forecasts show River Murray flows have a moderate likelihood of reaching 200 gigalitres a day and a low likelihood of 220 gigalitres a day. But continued heavy rains in the eastern states prompted SA’s Emergency Management Committee to warn of a possible secondary flood peak in late December or early January.

This would further impact on housing, infrastructure, agriculture and business, with hundreds of residents already moving out and traders and businesses dealing with the impact.

Fruit growers are scrambling to access generators to keep water pumps irrigating crops, with one almond grower in Berri saying his $30 million orchards of about 100,000 trees needed water daily in the heat of summer or they could die.

Water covers the road at Berri marina yesterday. Photo: Tracy Atkins-strain/Facebook

An Infrastructure and Transport Department announcement today said the Waikerie ferry will be closed this Wednesday, 23 November, between 9am and 5pm, to transfer the ferry to a high flow ramp to allow services to continue as water levels rise.

While this changeover occurs, alternative crossings are at Kingston bridge (upstream) and Cadell ferry (downstream).

Use of the higher ramp ferry will be initially restricted to light vehicles and the local school buses, with single lane operations only. Double lane operations and all vehicle types (excluding B-Double and heavy mass permitted vehicles) will resume once the water depth reaches 10 metres.

Once the Waikerie ferry is successfully transferred to the high flow ramp, it is expected to remain operational while Taylorville Road (Waikerie ferry access road) remains open. This road is at risk of closure once flows exceed 140 GL/day.

The heavily used Bookpurnong Road linking Berri and Loxton will be closed to all traffic once the rising water level encroaches on the road shoulder, which is now expected to occur between Wednesday and Friday this week.

Morgan and Lyrup ferries are also expected to close as the Transport Department continues to monitor the impacts of the high-water flows across all 11 ferry crossings in the state.

Swan Reach, Mannum (upstream and downstream), Walker Flat and Purnong ferries are all considered at risk of closure when flows reach between 120 to 130 GL per day.

For more information on the River Murray flood event call the SA SES flood and storm information line on 1800 362 361.