Western NSW town of Menindee braces for record breaking flood levels

Residents of the outback town of Menindee in NSW have been urged to remain on high alert over the next 24 to 36 hours as floodwaters continue to rise.

Water flows through the ‘main weir’ out of Lake Wetherell with floodwaters predicted to peak 24cm above the 1976 record of 10.46m. Picture: Michael Minns

Residents of the outback town of Menindee in NSW have been urged to remain on high alert over the next 24 to 36 hours as floodwaters continue to rise, with the Darling River expected to reach its highest level in 58 years.

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast floodwaters will reach their peak 10.7 metres within the coming days, 24cm above the 1976 record of 10.46 metres.

“Major flooding is occurring at Menindee, where river levels are currently steady near 10.20 metres,” the bureau’s statement read.

“Due to variable inflows to Menindee Lakes, further rises to 10.70 metres are possible at Menindee town gauge from around Thursday this week, this level is above the 1976 flood record of 10.47 metres.

“River levels are likely to remain elevated above the major flood level (9.70 metres) at Menindee through to mid-January.”

Major flooding is also likely at Menindee Town during Friday morning with further rapid rises expected into Saturday, according to the bureau.

Locals living in low-lying areas were urged to evacuate their homes on December 31 by NSW SES to due to fast rising floodwaters’ major flooding.

There are reports that at least a dozen homes have been flooded, with fears more may go underwater within the coming days.

NSW SES spokesman David Rankine said the evacuation order would likely remain in place for “a couple of weeks while the flood peak is up”.

“So it’s currently sitting at about 10.2 metres, it is looking at possibly rising to 10.7 metres towards the end of the week around Thursday,” he said.

“Water New South Wales are maintaining their releases of 75,000 megalitres a day. And we are still working on the 10.2 level at the moment, it’s been there for about 36 hours now.” Mr Rankine said there was a team of SES volunteers currently at the scene working alongside local rescue crews.

“We’ve got about 25 SES volunteers on the ground, and we’re working closely with local RFS as well as one of the teams there,” he said.

This latest flood activity comes after a year of flooding for the regional town,

The SES is urging residents living in flood-prone areas to evacuate as roads are expected to become blocked within the next few days.

“You must evacuate now because evacuation routes will be closed due to the rising flood waters,” it stated.

“If you remain in the area, you may become trapped without power, water, and other essential services.

“It may be too dangerous for NSW SES to rescue you, and buildings may not be able to ­withstand the impact of flood water.”