Trying to open his supermarket supply shed, Paul Bosch never expected to be met by a "wall of water".
That was just the start of his worries.
Mr Bosch is one of dozens of business owners affected in the West Victorian town of Coleraine, hit by floods on Friday.
Byran Creek near the city centre burst its banks on Friday, while nearly a month of rain fell in a day, filling low-lying areas of the town with water in minutes.
Coming to his IGA shop at 7:30am to open up, Mr Bosch didn't think much of his shed door not opening properly.
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"I struggled to open the back shed - it had filled with water - and I got hit by a wall of water as soon as I opened it," he told AAP on Friday.
Trying his best to prepare his shop for the worst, water levels rose out of nowhere.
"We were in the middle of the process of sandbagging," he said.
"Within five minutes you could see it, it came that quick."
His car park became a raging river, while valuable stock started bobbing in the water.
As quick as the water came, so did help, Mr Bosch said.
"We had 60 or 70 people in the store at one stage, everyone came in because we just couldn't keep up with it (the water)," he said.
"You feel helpless when you're just standing there watching it roar into the shop."
Stock was moved to higher ground, and thankfully, Mr Bosch says, the worst aspect of the day was that he missed a day of trade.
By Friday afternoon, the clean up was finishing up, thanks to the help of SES volunteers and the community.
The SES received more than 130 calls for help across the state since midnight, with Coleraine and the northeast the worst hit.
Two elderly residents in Coleraine were evacuated and are at the hospital as a precautionary measure, while a relief centre has been set up at the racecourse.
By the afternoon, the local pub has become a meeting point for many of the residents, with the publican telling AAP most of the town had turned up.
A low-pressure system crossing the state is expected to bring with it strong winds averaging 60km/h on Saturday and heavy rain is set to continue in the central and northeastern parts of the state, the Bureau of Meteorology advises.
A severe weather warning remains in place for the northeast of the state - including Shepparton, Wangaratta, Seymour and Wodonga - where up to 100mm of rain is possible.
The SES has warned people to not enter flood waters and secure loose items.
Heavy rain is expected to hit Melbourne during the evening commute on Friday.
