An evacuation order has been issued to residents in a remote NSW border community, as emergency services brace for a major flood peak travelling south from Queensland.
The State Emergency Service has told residents in the Boggabilla and Toomelah communities to leave their homes by 11am today.
The Macintyre River at Boggabilla was expected to reach the major flood level of 12 metres on Friday morning, and would likely peak at 12.8 metres later tonight.
The SES said once floodwaters inundated the area, roads would be cut, and all sewerage and power would be lost.
SES Superintendent Mitchell Parker has urged residents to take the order seriously.
"It's going to become a very tough task if people decide that when that water does hit, after we've given that [evacuation order], they want to get out. For us getting in to get them out is going to be very difficult.
He said the flooding Macintyre River will leave half a metre to a metre of water throughout the town.
The SES has set up an evacuation centre at the Moree East Public School and was offering a bus service for residents to get there.
It has also told residents to stay with family and friends on higher ground.
Mr Parker said there have been significant changes in town since the 2011 floods, with many houses now raised on stilts, but that does not diminish the danger.
"We're not going to see too many homes that will have full inundation. What we will see is a lot of houses that are raised, are going to be surrounded by floodwaters. That's going to be the hard part," he said.
"We've got a number of emergency services from the Rural Fire Service, SES, Police and Fire and Rescue to assist, we just need people to take this information seriously."
