SES rescue sheep in NSW floods

About 1200 sheep trapped by floodwaters were rescued via helicopter in Forbes yesterday. This is how it happened.

About 1200 sheep trapped by rising floodwaters on a property in central west New South Wales were given a wild and woolly ride to safety yesterday.

The ewes and lambs had become stranded in a paddock of a Forbes farm for several days after the nearby Lachlan River burst its banks.

Rescued sheep have just been flown from floodwaters in Forbes. Picture: Supplied

One helicopter was used for the operation which saw at least 10 sheep at a time being placed in a cage rigged to the underbelly of the craft and moved to another part of the property.

NSW Local Land Services, Department of Primary Industries and the NSW State Emergency Service combined for the rescue.

Farmer Warren Bailey had been attempting to move the animals to higher ground for over a week, but his attempts were hampered by wild weather.

The animals, which were all reportedly still in good condition and not fazed by the flight, can now be reunited with their feed cart after being on a hay diet since being cut-off.

The desperate situation was highlighted after an SOS message was posted on social media pleading for a boat or barge capable of carrying livestock that could be deployed to save the sheep.

Meanwhile, more than 1000 Forbes residents have reportedly evacuated their homes as authorities prepare for the Lachlan River to peak at about 10.80 metres at Iron Bridge later today, its highest level since 1952.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet visited the stricken town earlier today.

The flooding is a confluence of downstream flows and rainfall over past weeks that has caused renewed and prolonged flooding along the Lachlan River and its tributaries and releases from the Wyangala Dam, over 120 kilometres upstream from Forbes, increasing five-fold to 125,000ML a day.

The NSW SES has activated 22 evacuation orders, including for parts of Gunnedah, Wilks Park, Wagga, North Wagga, Bourke, Mathoura East, Moama, Tumut, Cowra and Gumly Gumly.

The Murrumbigdee River is expected to peak at 9.80 metres in Wagga Wagga later today.

The town of Gundagai, about 390 kilometres southwest of Sydney, is also experiencing major flooding at levels not experienced since 1989 after spills from the Burrinjuck Dam combined with inflows from the Tumut River and other tributaries.

There are also 58 active Watch and Act alerts across the state of NSW.

The NSW and federal governments have announced jointly funded recovery grants for primary producers impacted by the ongoing floods in NSW.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the assistance was available for immediate clean-up needs and to repair damaged infrastructure and property.

“Sadly, many communities remain underwater, herds and crops have been swept away and the full extent of the damage is yet to be revealed,” he said.

EARLIER

A slow-motion rescue will take place tomorrow when 600 sheep surrounded by floodwaters on a property in Forbes, in central west NSW, are flown to safety.

NSW SES will helicopter about 15 sheep at a time, in a cage rigged to the machines underbelly, to another part of the property. The endeavour will require about 40 flights.

An SES volunteer helping to rescue two stranded thoroughbreds near Lake Cowal on October 26.

The desperate situation was highlighted after an SOS message was posted on social media pleading for a boat or barge capable of carrying livestock that could be deployed to save our sheep.

The pace of water rises has caught some farmers off-guard, with evacuation orders activated for parts of southern NSW as huge volumes of water flows into already swollen catchments and authorities fear livestock losses.

The Lachlan River is expected to exceed its major flood level at Iron Bridge in Forbes at 10.55 metres on Thursday and rise to 10.80m on Friday.

An SES spokesperson said the flows would likely exceed high water levels etched 70 years ago.

The flooding is a confluence of downstream flows and rainfall over the past weeks that has caused renewed and prolonged flooding along the Lachlan River and its tributaries and releases from the Wyangala Dam, over 120 kilometres upstream from Forbes, increasing five-fold to 125,000ML a day.

The evacuation warnings come just two weeks after locals were urged to evacuate due to another flooding event.

NSW SES volunteers last week helped relocate two horses trapped in floodwater near Lake Cowal, the largest inland lake in NSW located about 47km north east of West Wyalong.