NSW floods: Euabalong floodwaters surpass 1952 record as towns brace for major flooding
A ‘prolonged major flood peak’ in NSW’s Central West will see Forbes and towns downstream endure major flooding into the weekend, with one township’s 1952 flood record already beaten. Get the latest flood updates here.
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The Central West is not out of the woods yet, with major flooding to continue along the Lachlan River over the weekend.
The river at Forbes is still hovering around the 10.7m mark while Jemalong and Condobolin are in the firing line, with river levels at Euabalong smashing a 70-year flood record.
NSW SES has warned the worst is yet to come for Condobolin as the swollen river continues to threaten properties with the impacts expected to linger into next week – especially with the weekend’s wet weather forecast.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force Teams, who arrived in NSW on Thursday to assist with flood efforts, will wrap up their induction training on Friday morning before heading out to the hardest hit areas.
In the last 24 hours, the NSW SES responded to 249 calls for assistances and conducted five rescues – all but one involved people driving in flood water. Four of those rescues were in the Central West and one was further north in Gunnedah.
A “prolonged major flood peak” still remains at Forbes and Cottons Weir, The Bureau of Meteorology advised in their Thursday afternoon bulletin, with residents told to expect water levels to stay the same into Friday.
Water levels hit 8.4m metres on Thursday night – the latest recorded figure.
“River levels are expected to remain steady near the peak into Friday and above the major flood level through the weekend,” the Bureau’s statement read.
“This flood peak is likely to reach Jemalong on Friday morning... with further river level rises possible for Condobolin on Monday.”
The Bureau added: “At Euabalong river levels have risen past the level of the 1952 floods, and further rises are possible when the flood peak currently nearing Jemalong approaches Euabalong later next week 24-26 November.”
It comes as extra Australian Defence Force soldiers arrived in the Central West to help residents weather catastrophic flooding.
Although mammoth clean up efforts are under way in the state’s Central West, the Wyangala Dam overflow continues to threatens rural properties.
The SES confirmed on Thursday that 180 troops and several high clearance vehicles had now been deployed to the region to support communities downstream as the risk of historic flooding continues in Condoblin and Euabalong.
“Support is also welcomed from the Australian Defence Force... deployed in the Central West NSW region from this afternoon,” a statement from the SES read.
Today NSW SES welcomed Singapore Civil Defence Force Teams sent to support NSW communities during this flooding event. They were transported to NSW SES Bankstown Unit, where they will receive induction training and be briefed on the Flood Operation Action Plan. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/suLNJo73zp
— NSW SES (@NSWSES) November 17, 2022
“The river heights in these areas continue to rise, with some areas instructed to prepare to evacuate while others prepare to face isolation due to flood waters.”
It comes as an initial 70 were deployed on November 16.
Emergency services are now searching for a third person feared to have been washed away in the torrents of water at Eugowra earlier this week.
About 9:40 am on Monday, an elderly woman trapped in floodwaters between Loftus and Parkes Sts in Eugowra saw a man's body in the water.
A police officer was helping to free the woman, but could not leave her to look for the body, and the woman lost sight of it in the rapids.
The man was described as being in his 20s with a slim build and fair hair.
Police have not received any reports of people missing in the area, or any further sightings matching the man’s description.
No bodies resembling the man have been recovered despite an ongoing search.
Investigators have asked anyone who knows a man who hasn’t been accounted for and matches the description above to contact CrimeStoppers.
Along with Forbes, Condobolin and Euabalong, areas of concern also include Cowra, Walgett, Darling Burke, Hay, Albury, Deniliquin, Moulamein, and Moama to Wentworth.
“We’re going to see the flood waters currently in the system impact the Far West NSW into the beginning of January. That’s (even) if there’s no more rain,” NSW SES spokesman Adam Jones said.
Statewide, there are over 100 flood warnings, including 22 evacuation orders, and eight out of the 14 rivers that are flooding in NSW are doing so at a major level.
FORBES
Residents in Forbes are on a knife-edge as the Lachlan River continues to rise towards a record peak of 10.79m as it moves downstream at 10.7m.
The town has been nervously waiting for a new record peak for days while major flooding has caused people to flee their homes for the second time in two weeks.
This even has caused damage to 700 structures and 1000 people to evacuate their homes.
Out of hundreds of rescues, dramatic footage captured a chopper crew plucking a family and their two dogs to safety from a table outside their inundated Forbes home, as raging flood waters swept past.
The town still remains a top priority for the NSW SES as massive clean up efforts are underway.
EUGOWRA
The small town of Eugowra — 38km outside of Forbes — has been devastated by floodwaters, but the good news is that water is slowly receding.
Emergency services responded to more than 150 flood rescues alone in Eugowra on Monday – which was about a fifth of the entire town’s population.
On Wednesday, emergency services conducted 284 damage assessments at Eugowra, with 225 buildings having sustained significant damage.
NSW SES Chaplain Steve Hall said the Eugowra community’s world had been completely tipped upside down.
It was reported earlier that people were resorting to social media in a desperate attempt to locate loved ones during the chaos.
HAY
Major flooding is occurring at Hay where the Murrumbidgee River rose to 9.09m on Thursday evening - breaching to 9.02m flood level experienced in September, 1974.
While it is slowly receding in town, the local weir is reporting steady levels at 9.9m.
Residents have been working around the clock to protect their homes and businesses as the Hay Plains – considered the flattest place in the southern hemisphere – have been saturated.
A Central West local shared footage of the devastation on social media as she drove across Maude Rd, showing the plains and paddocks as being completely underwater - resembling scenes of a never ending ocean.
West of Maude, moderate flooding is occurring at Balranald with major flooding possible in early December.
CONDOBOLIN, EUABALONG AND JEMALONG
Jemalong and Condobolin are bracing for further flooding, with river levels at Euabalong smashing a 70-year flood record.
The effects of the floods are likely to be felt into next week if more rain falls over the weekend.
In Condobolin, local SES teams erected a sandbag wall – dubbed the ‘Great Wall of Condo’ – to prevent flood water from cutting off the town.
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