Water levels in Horsham were the highest on record, with the Wimmera River hitting 3.99 metres at 6.45pm yesterday and rising. A hydrologist at the Bureau of Meteorology said the levels were the highest since measurements began in 1881 and the previous record, reached in 1894, was 3.87 metres. The depth hit 3.35 metres in the September floods last year. Dozens of properties flooded as residents desperately resorted to sandbagging. The Defence Force was supporting efforts to save the town of 14,000 people, where a further 500 properties were expected to be inundated by what the SES called a ''one-in-200-year flood''. Power to about 2000 residents was cut last night as water closed in on the town, with authorities warning all households they could lose electricity and to take precautions, such as charging mobile phones. Kerang and Swan Hill were also expected to be hit by power cuts. ''Those who will be impacted are fairly anxious, as you would expect, and certainly the emergency management team are quite anxious, too, to see what happens,'' said Horsham mayor Michael Ryan.

''We've had a dozen years of pretty severe drought … Now, we have got so much water we don't know what to do with it. ''Nothing surprises any more. The water has wrecked farms, wrecked crops and that's the irony of it all. We hoped for rain and now we wish it would go away.'' Across Victoria yesterday the scale of the crisis continued to grow, with at least 1600 properties flooded, 46 towns affected and the SES having responded to about 5500 calls since Tuesday. Last night, SES deputy director of operations Tim Wiebusch said between 10 and 20 communities were still likely to be hit with severe flooding like that in Charlton and Rochester, which yesterday remained isolated and without drinking water. ''I wouldn't say we've seen the last of the worst of it,'' he said. ''We are expecting some significant flooding still to occur in some areas.

''As we go up the [Loddon] river towards Kerang we're likely to see a one-in-100-year flood … potentially a record flood. There are many small communities, particularly in those flood-prone areas right through the Loddon, Avoca and Wimmera catchments, that really do need to maintain a high level of alertness over the coming days.'' Mr Baillieu said the state government had established a $5 million fund for municipalities to access to pay for immediate repair bills, with the government expected to reimburse municipalities at least another $30 million as infrastructure repairs continue. In a glimmer of good news for residents, the Bureau of Meteorology said no significant rain was expected in any of the flood-affected areas this week. There was some respite in Echuca, where the Campaspe River peaked five centimetres below expectations and flooded just half of the 200 homes expected to be inundated. But this was rare, with all four rivers in the floods - the Wimmera, Avoca, Loddon and Campaspe - recording their highest levels in numerous spots and more than 50 weather stations recording record rainfall. In dozens of communities the long clean-up was under way, with residents facing the grim task of returning to their homes and assessing losses.

In Beaufort, west of Ballarat, nature strips outside flood-hit homes were piled high with once-prized possessions. In Creswick, residents counted the cost of their second major flood in four months. But in many other Victorian towns residents were preparing for the huge challenges posed by billions of litres of water headed downstream towards them. In the south-west, the SES added Warrnambool to its list of towns under threat. In Quambatook, residents moved out as water from the Avoca River hit. Mr Wiebusch also said areas along the Wimmera River downstream of Horsham such as Dimboola and Jeparit would be under threat in coming days, along with nearby towns along the river's tributaries. Culgoa, Boort, Durham Ox, Cavil, Donald, Pyramid Hill, Panmure, Darlington, Rupanyup, Dingwall, Appin, Appin South, Mitiamo, Terrick Terrick and Rowlands are some of the towns that are affected or expected to be affected in coming days. Efforts were being made to protect a power substation in Kerang last night with sandbags and a soil wall.

With RICHARD WILLINGHAM, AAP