Regional Town Cut Off Until Christmas as NSW Flood Crisis Enters the 75th Day
By Australian Associated Press
Some regional New South Wales towns could remain cut off by floodwaters for up to a month, with stranded residents relying on food and medications flown in by helicopter.
The state’s flood crisis entered its 75th day on Monday after severe storms battered parts of Sydney, the Central Coast and Wollongong on Sunday night.
The State Emergency Service received 100 calls for help in the 24 hours to Monday morning – 30 of them in the Sydney metropolitan area – mostly for trees or branches falling on homes and driveways.
There are 66 flood warnings across the state, 13 of them at emergency level.
The SES flood assistance effort remains focused on Euabalong where the Lachlan River has isolated the town.
A Euabalong publican, Neil Quinn, said the town last week stared down the swollen river with a hastily built levee bank.
“I don’t know how we did it, but we stopped the river,” Quinn said.
It followed a tense week when the town’s original flood bank began to fail and evacuation orders were issued.
Quinn said the town would be relying on helicopters for supplies for at least a month.
The SES is also focused on the towns of Hay, Balranald, Brewarrina, Bourke and, downstream, Torrumbarry, Barham, Boundary Bend and Moulamein.
