In the event of a significant emergency, emergency relief centres are established to provide information and community support.

While most services will still be available at the cross-council centres, there will be no physical relief centre for people to attend, as opposed to other years.

Wimmera Emergency Management coordinator John Hutchins said social distancing rules meant it may not be possible to establish the usually crowded meetings places people are used to in a disaster situation.

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"Instead, there will be a virtual relief centre involving Council emergency management staff working hard behind the scenes to provide affected people with information and deliver access to relief support services to assist with their immediate needs," he said.

"We hope that the virtual ERC provides the support that our community needs during an emergency. We will continue to review and adapt its content as the situation evolves to ensure that it stays informative, responsive and relevant."

Residents were also reminded to register with the Red Cross website if they were displaced from their homes, and to contact their local council office for further information and support.

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