More Floods
“For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.”
Psalms 32:6,7
“And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
Matthew 24:39
Perilous Times and Climate Change
Australia: More massive flooding to continue in coming weeks
By Isabel Hayes and Susanna Dunkerley
From: AAP December 13, 2010 5:04PM
LARGE parts of New South Wales are preparing for more floods as another four areas join the list of natural disaster zones, in the state's most expansive flooding in 30 years.
The central west town of Forbes remains on high alert, with the Lachlan River expected to peak at 10.4 metres tonight. An evacuation warning is in place for seven streets, with residents told to be prepared to leave.
About 5000 people remain isolated statewide and are likely to remain so for up to three weeks, State Emergency Services (SES) spokeswoman Erin Pogmore told AAP.
"These are mostly rural communities that are prepared for floods and we probably won't hear from a lot of them until the floods recede," she said.
Dry weather gave many parts of the state some respite today, but more flooding is expected over the coming weeks.
In the state's north, the towns of Wee Waa and Coonamble remain isolated, although flood waters are receding.
Major flooding is expected at Warren late this afternoon, with the Macquarie River due to peak at 9.7 metres.
As clean-up efforts continued across the state, the areas of Goulburn, Mulwaree, Cowra, Coolamon and Tamworth were added to a list of natural disaster zones.
These areas have reported significant damage from flooding and heavy rainfall to public infrastructure, including roads, drainage, causeways, sewerage and wastewater treatment works, buildings and dams.
Announcing the new disaster zones, NSW Premier Keneally said the floods were "the most widespread flooding event of this kind NSW has experienced in more than 30 years".
Ms Keneally and Emergency Services Minister Steve Whan were in Queanbeyan and Dubbo to survey the damage.
"Whilst the rain has cleared, we are still concerned about a number of areas," Ms Keneally said. She said it was too early to put a dollar figure on the damage across the state, but assistance was available to councils, businesses and low-income families. The NSW Government has also written to Prime Minister Julia Gillard seeking exceptional circumstance provisions for farmers.
Mr Whan said SES volunteers were continuing to work around the clock.
"Flood peaks are moving downstream keeping SES (volunteers) busy for at least another two weeks, if not more, depending on the rain," he told reporters at the SES Queanbeyan headquarters.
"We are very grateful for the efforts of the SES volunteers who will willingly do this right across their Christmas break."
SES Commissioner Murray Kear said the current dry weather was a welcome respite for flood-hit communities.
"But this does look like it's going to be a very wet summer, and so it won't be the last time SES volunteers respond to community needs," he said.
The Bureau of Meteorology has warned the flooding could continue for some weeks as the floodwaters move downstream.
Areas around the Darling River, including Bourke and Louth, are at risk of flooding in January, Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Shandra Wanig said. The SES has received 2800 requests for help since the start of the flood crisis and there have been 135 flood-related rescues.