Residents of the central-western town of Forbes began returning to their homes and businesses tried to reopen their doors on Wednesday after officials said floodwaters from the Lachlan River had peaked.
Dave Rankine, a spokesperson for the state emergency service, said the floodwaters had reached 10.52 metres and had stayed at that level since 3am.
“Whilst we haven’t seen a drop in the river, [that] probably suggests it’s plateaued.”
The threat of rising floodwaters remains though, with more rainfall forecast.
“We had planned for the worst-case scenario which was 10.65 metres and would have seen water right the way through town – it hasn’t eventuated – whilst it’s been a small inconvenience for local businesses who’ve had to shut for a few days,” Rankine said.
Showers and #thunderstorms are forecast to return to #NSW this weekend and with catchments very wet, that may lead to renewed river rises.
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) November 17, 2021
Latest forecasts: https://t.co/3eUFYlXBio. pic.twitter.com/0fDZNypq3Z
More than 300 SES volunteers from across the state travelled to Forbes and 30,000 sandbags were filled and distributed throughout the community, as well as downstream at Bidgerabong.
Some businesses in lower-lying Forbes had premises inundated in the early hours of Thursday morning, as Lake Forbes was fed from another tributary and slower to rise than the river.
Peter Maher, the owner of a shearing services firm, had to move merchandise and his business will be closed until the floodwaters recede.
Sonia, the manager at Nicholson Petroleum, said she received a call at 5.30am that the service station had been flooded.
“We’ve had four bowsers out the front; we’ve had to unbolt them all and take them up, had the electrician in to unhook all the electricity, three pumps down the back had to be taken up, and the electricity turned off.”
She said she didn’t know when she would be able to get the petrol station running again as more rain was predicted.
Shelly Clark, a registered nurse at Grenfell hospital, hasn’t been able to go to work for three days due to rising floodwaters and doesn’t know when she’ll be able to return.
“I don’t know. It rose so slowly, I don’t know how long it’s going to take for it to get away. I could get to work but it would take me an hour and 40 minutes and I’d have to cross floodwaters, so it’s not worth the risk.”
Clark said it had been “surreal” because the floodwaters had risen so slowly.
“You think, is it really going to happen? Is it really happening?” Clark said.
“Last night when I went to bed all these roads were still open, then waking up this morning and they’re all gone.”
The premier, Dominic Perrottet, the deputy premier Paul Toole and minister for police and emergency services David Elliott visited the flood zone on Thursday.
Perrottet thanked the SES volunteers for their work.
“That is the spirit that gets our state through these difficult times.”
He also commended locals who in the past four years have endured floods, drought, bushfires, a mouse plague and the pandemic, only to be hit with more floods.
“They’re a very resilient community here and they are going to get through this difficult time as well,” Perrottet said.
Toole said the flooding had caused widespread damage across the state and delivered a cruel blow to farmers who were preparing to harvest a bumper crop.
“We won’t know the extent of that damage until the waters have actually receded,” he said.
The Forbes mayor, Phyllis Miller, said water began sweeping through town on Wednesday afternoon.
“It has come through the town and made its way to the lake system but it’s nothing we can’t handle,” she told Sydney radio 2GB on Thursday.
With Australian Associated Press
