Locals in one NSW town are on a ‘knife’s edge’ as more wet weather is forecast.
Residents in the NSW Central West town of Forbes are being told to stay on high alert despite escaping catastrophic floods, while farmers have said they’ve lost millions of dollars in crops.
Up to 1800 residents have been given the all-clear after they were earlier told to flee their homes as the Lachlan River threatened to reach a worrying 10.65m.
Water levels only reached 10.52m overnight and have now dropped to 9.52m with only a few wet gardens to show for it.
Forbes Shire Council Mayor Phyllis Miller said the wet weather predicted over the weekend is keeping locals ‘on a knife’s edge’.
“We’re not out of the woods yet because the forecast is for a lot of storms events right throughout the rest of spring and into early summer,” she told 2BG’s Ben Fordham.
“I worry all night hoping we have done everything.”
Despite the worrying weekend ahead Ms Miller said residents are doing ‘really well’ after a worrying 48 hours.
“The water is coming up some of the streets but it’s nothing like what we would have expected,” she said.
The mayor said it had been particularly hard for the farmers in the region who have lost crops.
“It’s heartbreaking, they are so amazing, they’re the real heroes in all this,” Ms Miller said.
“They will get up, they will get over it and they will be planting and feeding us again.”
An evacuation order was issued by the State Emergency Service about noon on Tuesday for about 800 properties in the low-lying parts of the town.
The partial all-clear was issued for parts of Forbes on Wednesday afternoon, allowing two-thirds of affected residents to return to their homes.
While all residents were told to flee, SES Inspector Barry Griffiths said some long-term residents refused and decided to “take their chances”. Only 50 chose to evacuate.
Ms Miller said “millions of dollars” worth of crops in the region had been washed away at a time when farmers were expecting a major harvest.
Heavy rainfall over the past week has led to overflowing catchments across NSW and Victoria, with the NSW SES receiving about 1500 requests for assistance in the Forbes area.
A walk-through evacuation centre was set up at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church at 11 Harold St, Forbes.
Deputy Premier Paul Toole said there had been extensive flooding and storms right across NSW and the government was ready to provide emergency assistance.
He said the NSW government would stand “side-by-side” with affected councils to assist them with recovering.
Mr Toole said the floods were “disheartening” for farmers in the region whose bumper crop harvests could be wiped out by water damage.
“In some areas where we see barley and we see wheat being grown, it’s now going to have mould on it. So this is a very difficult time as well for our farming community,” he said.
Originally published as Forbes flood levels dropping but residents told to stay on alert
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