On the sixth day of the town of Wee Waa’s isolation due to floodwaters, three-year old Tuxton Robinson was down to one set of feeding tubes that deliver the nutrition to his belly – equipment he needs to survive.
The extra medical supplies for Tuxton arrived via helicopter that same Wednesday, delivered by the State Emergency Service – the same method that was being used to deliver food supplies and essential workers, including nurses and police, to the town in the north-west of New South Wales.
Tuxton, a Wiradjuri boy, has a percutaneous endoscopic gastronomy, meaning all his nutrition is delivered via “giving sets” that need to be changed daily.
Tuxton’s mother, Cherie Allen, said the skies of Wee Waa became a “helicopter highway – as one flew out, another flew in”.
“I was gobsmacked how it could be orchestrated that so many helicopters became available to the community to deliver what was needed to keep the town running.”
Floodwaters first began to rise in Wee Waa on 22 November, with the town isolated for 10 days between 26 November and 4 December. Floodwaters rose again to major flood level on Tuesday 14 December.
Depending on rain elsewhere in the state, there is the possibility the town could find itself flooded in again at Christmas.
“It’s not unusual, we do live on the floodplain,” Allen said. “It’s an ongoing issue but the unpredictability of it is a concern.”
The Bureau of Meteorology shows that major flooding continues along multiple rivers in NSW and Queensland, with many communities living with the same uncertainty as Wee Waa.
In Queensland, multiple flood peaks have occurred from separate rainfall events over the past few weeks, and continue to move through the Condamine-Balonne and Border rivers.
In NSW, major flooding from the Barwon River has occurred at Mungindi and Mogil Mogil, and is expected to reach Bourke around the first week of January. At the same time, renewed river rises have been observed along the Lachlan, causing major flooding at Euabalong. Moderate flooding continues along the Namoi River at Wee Waa.
“Flood waters will continue to move through our inland rivers over the coming weeks and months,” a Bureau of Meteorology spokesperson said.
“Catchments are very sensitive to rainfall after a very wet November and spring which has left catchments saturated and water storages full, so there is a heightened and ongoing risk of riverine flooding and dangerous flash flooding this summer.”
Jenni Fox, the unit commander at Wee Waa, has described the past few weeks as “hectic”.
During the flooding, Fox continued her job as grocery manager at the town’s only supermarket, working 6.30am until the manager could arrive at 9.30am, before returning to her volunteer role as SES unit commander working from 9.30am to 9.30pm.
Fox was in charge of the delivery of the essential goods via helicopter.
“It was like a little airport – we had four or five helicopters at the one time,” she said.
As well as conducting four rescues of vehicles stuck in flood waters, the local SES also transported farmers who lived outside of town via boat across the lagoon to be able to get their essential supplies, as well as visit doctors in town.
Allen said: “If you lived in the city it wouldn’t happen, but when you live in the country people just come together.”
Allen hopes the flood water will settle down but estimates it is a 50/50 chance whether the family will be isolated during Christmas.
She said the water had been slow to recede because it had nowhere to go, and the ground was so damp and soaked from the repeated wet weather.
There was also an abundance of reptiles, including venomous snakes, venturing into town and “scaring the life out of people”, she said.
“The old wives’ tale that snakes don’t swim is false, because they swim all right.”
Angus Whyte, a farmer in the Lower Darling catchment along the Anabranch River, said he was looking forward to the flood waters arriving in late January.
As the preliminary releases are made from Menindee Lakes, Whyte said it was the first time there was a flow down the river since 2016.
The water rejuvenates the soil profile of his pastures and is arriving so slowly he has time to plan for it.
“We actually love floods,” Whyte said. “We think they’re fantastic.”
