Residents along several swollen Victorian rivers are bracing for the worst with record-breaking flooding predicted in the state’s north.

Emergency warnings remain in place for multiple areas, including Shepparton, Murchison, Echuca, Kialla, Mooroopna, Orrvale, Charlton Barnadown and Elmore.

Major flood warnings also remain in place for nearly a dozen rivers in NSW, as the swollen Murray River threatens to inundate communities on both sides of the border.

“We are living in very dangerous times in the days and weeks ahead,” Albanese said as he inspected damage in the NSW town of Forbes.

He urged people to follow warnings from emergency services, adding too many were dismissing advice to evacuate.

“(People are) saying ‘no, we’ll be right’,” Albanese said.

In Echuca, residents and holiday makers were early on Monday being told to immediately leave amid concerns people could become stranded by the floodwaters.

“Flooding may impact residents whose properties surround the Campaspe River,” authorities said.

“Residents in Echuca Village can expect to be impacted over the coming days.”

Suncorp said it had received about 1000 flood damage claims, mostly from Victoria.

“The numbers are expected to increase over the coming days as the situation continues to unfold,” the company said.

In Moama, a town in the NSW Riverina district, the flooding is likely to be as bad as or worse than the 1993 flood – the area’s second-biggest on record.

Around 200 residents at an Indigenous community near Moama have been told to evacuate by midday on Monday and people living in the Moama caravan were told to leave by 6am.

Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said some 34,000 homes could be inundated or isolated by floodwaters.

Home-owners have been caught by surprise despite evacuation orders being issued, he said.

“Staying in those floodwaters when there’s an evacuation order is putting home-owners’ lives at risk, but also endangering SES personnel,” Watt told ABC TV on Monday.

The Goulburn River at Shepparton has risen overnight to 12.05 metres, with major flooding expected on Monday morning at 12.1 metres.

That is higher than the 1974 flood level of 12.09m, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

Images show buildings in the middle of town surrounded by a vast inland sea of brown muddy water, and residents using sandbags to protect properties.

Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said 56 requests for rescues were made overnight in Mooroopna and Shepparton overnight, some of which are yet to be completed.

Hundreds of homes in the area have been flooded, along with another 800 to 900 homes in Rochester.

“I had the opportunity to fly over Rochester yesterday. To be frank, it’s depressing,” Mr Crisp told ABC TV.

A 71-year-old man was found dead in floodwaters in the backyard of his Rochester home on Saturday.

The Loddon River at Kerang is expected to peak on Tuesday and into Wednesday, with levels similar to the January 2011 record-breaking floods.

A warning has also been issued for the Wimmera River, with Horsham residents warned major flooding is possible on Monday and into Tuesday.

The Campaspe River at Barnadown, Rochester Town and Echuca had peaked on Monday morning with major flooding occurring – higher than in 2011.

The Victorian State Emergency Service has received over 4750 calls for help, including more than 500 flood rescue requests, since Wednesday when heavy rainfall lashed the state.

In Tasmania, the State Emergency Service has to date identified damage to 53 homes, 18 businesses and 21 community facilities, as well as bridges and roads in the state’s north and northwest.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday many people were doing it tough.

“It’s heartbreaking to think that for many people this is the third or fourth time in 18 months that their lives have been disrupted by a natural disaster of this magnitude,” he said of the floods that swept across Victoria, NSW and Tasmania in recent days.

More than 7500 properties across Shepparton, Mooroopna, Kailla and Echuca could be impacted by the rising waters, according to modelling.

Disaster recovery payments have been made available to residents in 23 local government areas and a 250-bed camp for displaced people will be opened at the former Covid-19 quarantine facility in Mickleham.

Each room comes complete with toiletries and other necessities, and residents will be provided with three meals each day, and snacks and drinks on arrival.

About 100 ADF personnel have also been deployed to help with evacuations and sandbagging in the worst-hit areas.

Major flood warnings are also in place for the Broken, Avoca and Loddon rivers, and the Seven and Castle creeks.

The Avoca River could peak around eight metres on Monday morning around Charlton.

Despite clear skies on the weekend in NSW, the BoM’s Dean Narramore says floodwaters are still rising.

“We have major flood warnings right across inland NSW and northern Victoria,” he told ABC on Monday.

“Today, we’re going to see a number of locations peak.”

Thousands of residents in Forbes, in the NSW central west, are affected. Some were evacuated before the Lachlan River peaked on Friday night and part of the CBD are still inundated.

Major flooding at Warren is expected to continue and more rain could cause further rises on the Macquarie River, threatening more severe flooding at Wellington and Narromine in the coming days.

“We have major flooding continuing on many of the inland areas around Warren and Wee Waa and parts of the Darling and rainfall, (with) more rain coming in the coming days, which will only exacerbate the many ongoing flood issues at the moment,” Narramore said.

People in South West Narrandera were ordered to evacuate before 6pm on Sunday after the Murrumbidgee River’s main flood peak passed through Wagga Wagga last week and headed downstream, with moderate flooding expected downstream at Darlington Point from Thursday.

The Murrumbidgee has passed the minor flood level at Balranald while major flooding is not expected to reach the town of Hay until late October, the BoM says.

Major flood warnings remain in place for 11 rivers in NSW and the SES have responded to 110 calls for help and conducted two flood rescues in the past 24 hours.

Another storm system is forecast to develop over central Australia on Tuesday, bringing widespread 25-50mm over much of inland NSW and thunderstorms to eastern states by mid-week.

“This is a lot less than what we saw, but with everything now so wet and saturated, this is going to lead to renewed river level rises on many of our already flooded rivers. Particularly as we get in towards that Thursday and Friday,” Mr Narramore said.

October rainfall records have been set in parts of inland NSW, including at Broken Hill in the state’s far west.

Sydney has also recorded its wettest year on record after only 10 months.