Perrottet warns of long recovery in NSW central west as ‘tsunami’ yet to peak

State emergency services have warned floodwaters in parts of NSW’s central west are still days away from peaking, as Premier Dominic Perrottet warns the recovery will be a “long journey”.

The town of Condobolin is battling the flood.

State emergency services have warned floodwaters in parts of NSW’s central west are still days away from peaking, as Premier Dominic Perrottet warns the recovery will be a “long journey”.

Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt announced on Sunday federal government disaster payments would be expanded to include five additional local government areas in NSW’s central west region as historic flooding continues to threaten communities.

As the flooding disaster in the central west entered its 67th day, the NSW State Emergency Service warned on Sunday the Lachlan River would likely reach 7.8m on Wednesday, threatening parts of Condobolin, a town about 130km west of Parkes.

Despite a 4km makeshift levee – christened the “Great Wall of Condo” – holding back floodwaters in Condobolin, protecting the town’s CBD, evacuation orders for low-lying parts of the town were issued on Saturday afternoon as people braced for further damage.

With the Edwards River predicted to exceed the major flood level of 9.6m, parts of Deniliquin were issued with orders to evacuate before Wednesday morning, while residents in the town’s west were told to prepare to isolate.

Prepare-to-evacuate orders were also issued in Bedgerabong and Warroo, west of Forbes.

In Eugowra, about 80km from Orange, the body of an 85-year-old man was found by police on Saturday morning. He had been missing since the massive floods hit the small town of about 800 people on Monday, and comes just three days after the body of 60-year-old Diane Smith was also found.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Swift

After being confronted on Friday by angry Eugowra locals furious about the state’s lack of preparation for the natural disaster, Mr Perrottet played up his government’s response, noting an operation centre would be established in town from Monday to provide access to government services.

“Now, it’s going to be a long journey,” Mr Perrottet said in Sydney. “That’s very clear. That event was a tsunami – a tsunami of water just crushing the community.” Mr Perrottet said the joint federal-state funding agreements would be critical to farmers in flood-affected parts of the central west – a story he said was often lost – after the floods wiped out a bumper harvest.

Senator Watt announced the broadened availability of flood-affected residents would bring the total number of LGAs included in the scheme to 75. Additional funding would be made available as part of the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements to assist councils with the clean-up bill.