Residents of Condobolin face an anxious wait over the next 24 hours as Forbes flood waters flow into the town.
The State Emergency Service (SES) on Thursday afternoon urged low-lying residents to evacuate before 2pm as the Lachlan River began to rise.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) believes the New South Wales town of Forbes has reached its peak flood at 10.7 metres, just below the 70-year record of 10.8. . (new)
The BoM reports that the River Lachlan at Condobolin Bridge, about 85 kilometers downstream from Forbes, is at about 7.42 meters in high flood and rising.
Emergency services began packing sand in parts of the west central city in a bid to prevent homes and businesses along the Lachlan River from being flooded.
Developments move quickly and NSW residents can check the most up-to-date notices on the SES website here. Farmers clear the properties surrounding Condobolin, as floods affect the town. (New) Emergency services are wrapping up the city to try to avoid some flooding. (new)
Forbes remains the focus of the SES as it continues to respond to requests for help during major flooding.
Flood waters in the city are slowly receding, but are expected to remain at major flood level through the weekend.
NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Sean Kearns acknowledged the Forbes community had been asked to evacuate for the second time in two weeks.
Clean-up begins at St Joseph’s Primary School in Eugowra after flash flooding devastated the town. (Rhett Whyman/Sydney Morning Herald)
“We would like to thank the community for paying attention to the emergency notices,” Kearns said.
“Evacuating immediately when instructed is the best way to make sure you are safe.
“We know that every flood is different, and if a previous flood didn’t get to you, it doesn’t mean this one won’t.”
The Australian Defense Force has deployed 180 troops to the Midwest region as of Thursday afternoon.
Forbes locals evacuate by boat as Eugowra cleanup begins
Eighteen military personnel specializing in flooding have arrived in Sydney from Singapore, along with 24 others from New Zealand, to help with the clean-up.
It comes as peak flooding has turned Forbes into an island.
Currently, the only way to get in and out of the Forbes CBD is by boat, and even that is dangerous with the fast flowing waters.
Dozens of missions have been carried out to transport people away from endangered homes.
People boarding a boat to be transported through flooded streets in Forbes. (Alex Ellinghausen/Sydney Morning Herald)
Gareth Acker was reunited with his partner and young children yesterday afternoon, after being separated from them.
Acker was caught in flooding in Orange days earlier and was anxiously waiting for his family to be rescued from South Forbes.
“I’m happy to have them back in my arms,” Acker told 9News.
Local Gareth Acker was reunited with his young children and partner who were stuck in South Forbes. (new)
“I’ve been trying to get them, but I haven’t been able to get back to go home and figure out how to get them back,” she said.
It has been impossible to predict with certainty which properties will be flooded in the coming hours, due to the unprecedented nature of the situation and the speed with which the flooding is rising.
“What we are witnessing is not just flooding and the flooding is expected to peak in the next few hours,” Deputy Premier Richard Marles said yesterday during a visit to the community.
“This is flood after flood.”
Bailee Harrison is boated with a Maritime NSW crew through the flooded streets of Forbes. (Alex Ellinghausen/Sydney Morning Herald)
In fact, many Forbes residents had begun cleaning up after a recent flood just two weeks earlier, leaving them at square one as they face evacuation once again.
Meanwhile, the search will continue for a missing 85-year-old man who went missing in Eugowra earlier this week.
In the 24 hours to 5am today, the SES mounted 12 flood rescues and responded to 265 calls for help.
There are 115 advisories in effect across the state, including 25 at the emergency level.