Residents in the New South Wales (NSW) rural town of Forbes have been issued their second emergency flood evacuation warning in two weeks as major flash flooding occurs throughout the state.
Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller said people were feeling shocked, especially the newer residents.
“We need lots of sandbags, and everyone was working really hard yesterday.”
Premier Dominic Perrottet acknowledged the challenging period communities were experiencing, particularly in the central west, and warned of more difficult times ahead.
The focus in Eugowra and Forbes was on rescues and keeping people safe, with 14 aircrafts currently operating in Eugowra for conducting rescues.
People Urged to Follow Emergency Instructions
The premier urged people to follow instructions for their own safety because the ground, catchments, and rivers were all full and it wouldn’t take much rain to cause further flash flooding.“We do expect more heavy rainfall over the weekend,” he said. “It’s only taken between 100 and 150 millilitres of rainfall overnight and we will have flash flooding, and that can come up very, very quickly,” he said.
“So when those orders are in place, even though you don’t see potentially flooding around you, you need to leave.”
Over the last 24 hours, the SES has had over 900 requests for assistance, and there have been 222 flood rescues.
Perrottet spoke with the acting prime minister for more support and said the state would have 100 additional defence personnel on the ground on Tuesday.
New Zealand also sent 24 flood rescue personnel to support local SES crews. The first crew of 12 arrived on Monday evening.
“Kia Ora to our fabulous friends from New Zealand,” the SES wrote on Facebook.
“For the first time in history, we have called in for international assistance. New Zealand has kindly offered 24 personnel from Fire and Emergency NZ, and we will have further support later this week from Singapore and the United States.”