NSW floods: Gunnedah, Forbes, Eugowra battered by floods from Lachlan River
An RFS captain on the front line of flash flooding in the central west has revealed the battle to evacuate residents for inundated homes, as locals tell of their fight to save properties.
Dubbo News
Don't miss out on the headlines from Dubbo News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A volunteer RFS captain has revealed the battles he has faced pleading with residents of central west to evacuate their flood-ravaged homes, as he and other first responders work to provide food and medicine to isolated communities.
Yarragong Rural Fire Service captain, Andrew Barnard has worked alongside his crew to evacuate residents of the regional city of Forbes, cut off by the onslaught of floodwaters inundating hundreds of homes in the state’s central west.
“Helping people is what drives me,” the 28-year veteran of the RFS told The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday. “I’m not in it for myself, it’s not about me.
“If we don’t do what we do then people out there don’t get food, they don’t get medicines – they don’t get help.”
The 45-year-old, who lives 17km from Forbes, said he was forced to leave a man behind after he refused to join other family members evacuating their rural home, inundated by rising floodwater.
“A man stayed because he was concerned about his animals,” he said. “He’s got sheep out there that have recently had lambs, so he was worried about the livestock.
“The (livestock) is in the water at the moment and the water is still rising.”
The RFS captain said it was “hard” to leave someone behind, but the man assured him he had food, dry clothes and a space to seek refuge in.
It comes as home and business owners across the state’s central west have worked through the night in a desperate effort to stop the onslaught of floodwaters from inundating properties for the second time in just ten days.
Residents in the regional city of Forbes awoke on Wednesday to witness the devastation in the town’s CBD first-hand – as SES and RFS volunteers rushed to provide food and support to cut-off homes.
But despite SES predictions the Lachlan River was expected to peak at 10.8m on Wednesday, locals were dreading reports by the Bureau of Meteorology that more rainfall was expected to hit on Friday.
Forbes resident and staff member of the historic Globe Hotel Joe Demamiel described the flood emergency as the “worst flooding” he had ever witnessed in the state’s central west.
“If the (current flood level) is any indication, Friday could mean water could get a lot higher,” Mr Demamiel said. “To have two floods in 10 days is just tragic.”
Mr Demamiel said he feared the much-loved pub at the heart of the Forbes CBD would be out of action for a number of days as staff worked to get the local watering hole back into operation.
“It is terrible,” he said. “The amount of work we had to do last week (to prepare for) the flood – we got everything out and were trading for three days but then it’s happened again.”
Absolutely devastating seeing the extent of the flooding in Forbes. It’s continuing to rise as residents prepare for one of the worst floods the town has seen in 70 years. #NSWFloods pic.twitter.com/uDXmulbgZX
— Aymon Bertah (@AymonBertah) November 15, 2022
“This time (the owner) Mick was more prepared and we got everything lifted,” he said. “All the beer and poker machines, as well as the TAB and wine are out of the water, but it is probably about a foot inside the bar at the moment.
“It is pretty disappointing, it is going to be a long road ahead.”
Meanwhile, life-long Forbes resident Rex Barton compared the current floods to those recorded in 1916, while telling The Daily Telegraph the ongoing flood situation had eclipsed flooding experienced in 1990.
“Its all bad, everything has been effected, the whole town,” he said.
Gary Tomlinson said his home at Church St, Forbes had been completely surrounded by floodwater overnight.
“It’s a little island, 360 degrees water view at the moment, the kids think its cool but it is worrying and I think we’ve still got some water to come,” he said.
“We’re just thinking how long it’s going to hang around for – that’s the unknown – we’ve got this water here and this is not dam water yet, this is just from Eugowra and Canowindra.
“We’ve got the big volume of water (to come) from Wyangala, so it’s concerning.”
Mr Tomlinson said his eldest son, a local farming contractor, was facing a 12-hour drive to avoid flood-damages routes to Cootamundra – a drive which would normally take two hours.
“You’ve just got to think there’s a lot more people who are worse off than we are.”
Lyndal Green, 49, of Forbes told The Daily Telegraph she was forced to relocate her children and animals to higher ground as the threat of floodwater inches closer to the family home.
“It’s coming, it’s in the front of my driveway, it’s not a matter of if it’s going to come in but when, and how much,” she said, fighting back tears. “I am insured, but I know there’s a lot of people that don’t have insurance ... so we’re very fortunate and I have family just up the hill, so I have somewhere to go.”
Ms Green said she feared for family who were also facing the threat of their homes being inundated.
“Our biggest concern is my children’s grandfather and their father live on a property out at Grawlin - which could go under,” she said. “I’m really anxious, I’ve spoken to them this morning, they even have the canoe parked at the house.
“They’re isolated and have a evacuation plan, they’re used to floods, they live on a flood plain but (the grandfather is) 84.”
The threat to homes in Forbes comes as police in Eugowra recovered the body of a woman believed to be that of Dianne Smith, 60, reported missing on Tuesday.
“Officers from Central West Police District began searching for a 60-year-old woman when she was unable to be contacted by family members, who were concerned due to severe flooding in the area,” a NSW Police spokeswoman said. “About 11am ... police searching Eugowra located the body of a woman at Parkes and Lachlan streets.
“While she is yet to be formally identified, it is believed to be the missing woman.
“A crime has been established, and police are conducting inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Police continue to search for 85-year-old Ljubisa ‘Les’ Vugec — also calling for public assistance to locate the man after family reported him missing on Tuesday.
“Family and police hold serious concerns for his welfare,” the spokeswoman said. “Police have conducted a number of inquiries and have commenced extensive searches in the area utilising Police Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit, Rural Fire Service, State Emergency Service, and the Volunteer Rescue Association.
“Les is described as being of Caucasian appearance, between 180-185cm tall, of medium build, with grey hair and brown eyes.”
‘Swept away in a wall of water’: Flood crisis deepens
By Odessa Blain
There were dramatic rescues overnight as entire communities were decimated by flash flooding in the state’s central west, with homes ripped from the ground, residents winched to safety and two people remain missing.
Widespread rainfall in the NSW central west on Sunday night has devastated regional centres including Forbes, Parkes, Eugowra, Molong and Cowra, as flash flooding inundated homes and broke century-old rainfall records.
The small town of Eugowra — 38km outside of Forbes — has been devastated by floodwaters which are not expected to recede anytime soon due to the saturated ground.
The NSW SES responded to more than 150 flood rescues in Eugowra on Monday.
NSW SES Chaplain Steve Hall said the Eugowra community’s world had been completely tipped upside down.
“Everything they hold dear has been swept away in a wall of water. It’s a long and hard road [to come back], but these people will need to dig deep, and so will we, the community. We’ll need to get around them and help them through it,” Mr Hall said.
In Condobolin, the Lachlan River has reached 17.38 metres — the highest levels on record and the water is only expected to continue to rise, reaching a peak of 17.4 metres later today.
At 4.47am Wednesday two people were plucked from the roof of a vehicle submerged in flood water at a dramatic Condobolin rescue.
NSW SES also issued emergency warnings for Forbes yesterday, where the Lachlan River height is expected to reach 10.8m peak later today — similar to the 1952 record.
The NSW SES is expecting the peak to last for a couple of days because the Wyangala Dam is still spilling.
In Forbes, 14 people were rescued around 8pm by SES and RFS volunteers. They were staying at the Plainsmans Hotel which had became inundated by waters.
Just after 10pm, a helicopter was also required to rescue an 84 and 78-year-old, their daughter and two small dogs after their Forbes home was threatened by rising waters.
Over the previous 24 hours, the NSW SES has reported 329 requests for assistance and completed 17 flood rescues.
More than 160 emergency personnel and resources, including New Zealand assistance and helicopters, have been deployed to assist in the Central West.
There are currently 122 active flood warning in place split into three categories: 25 emergency warnings, 76 watch and act and 19 advice warnings.
People have been told to leave Gunnedah in the state’s central west as the Namoi River continues to rise.
NSW SES Superintendent Brigid Rice said it was fortunate emergency personnel on aircraft were able to winch stranded people off roofs, and transferred them to a safe place.
“I would like to invite anyone who has not already registered with those evacuation centres and may be having loved ones look for them,” Ms Rice said.
NSW SES are urging anyone who is unable to make contact with family or friends displaced by the most recent flooding events to use the Register Find Reunite website.
For emergency help in floods and storms, call the NSW SES on 132 500. In life threatening situations, call triple-0 (000) immediately.
Future Olympians! Try-fectas, close calls in Next Gen 7s battles
There were blowouts, close calls, a hot boot and multiple try-fectas in the opening round of the Next Gen Sevens rugby series in Sydney. Stars, great photos and Rd 1 result wrap.
‘It’s a special thing’: Australia’s rare rugby result in New Zealand
Rugby’s U18s rising stars have done something few other Aussie teams have managed in recent times - completing a shock and awe mission across the ditch for two wins. Stars, result wrap