Local residents across large tracts of New South Wales and Victoria are under threat as major floods hit.
Three men were reported missing at 7.30pm Saturday night as they attempted to cross Araluen Creek, south of Braidwood in NSW’s Southern Tablelands.
Their 4WD became stuck and when they exited the vehicle were washed downstream.
Two of the men were rescued and taken to Braidwood Hospital suffering from hypothermia and other injuries. A body of an unidentified man, believed to be the third member of the party, was recovered at Majors Creek in Araluen this morning, a police spokeswoman told AAP.
Meanwhile, residents in Wagga Wagga and Gundagai are getting help from 100 army staff to sandbag properties against the nine metre flood peak expected Sunday night.
The ABC reported that close to 2000 people from the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley area, near Sydney have been called to evacuate from their homes, and up to 1,500 in Cooma and Cowra are still prohibited to return to theirs.
“There is the possibility of some heavy rain down there (Cooma) tonight and as a consequence we have asked those people to remain evacuated.” says State Emergency Service spokesman, Phil Campbell.
Up to 170mm was recorded in the Riverina and 300 properties in Lockhart were evacuated overnight.
There have been 265 calls to the SES assistance overnight and as close to 30 rescues were carried out according to News.com.au.
In several parts of north-east Victoria, rainfalls of up to 100 millimetres are expected tonight.
Katamatite, north of Shepparton, is currently in isolation whilst the highway in Bundalong has already been cut three ways. Patients from Numurkah District Hospital near Shepparton have been evacuated.
The Bureau of Meteorology. who'd described this event as “unprecedented”, predicts that the rainband will weaken later into Monday.
