More flood warnings after Warragamba Dam spill

Sydney’s Warragamba Dam hit 100 per cent capacity overnight following heavy rain across NSW. Megalitres of water started to be released from Saturday night with the spill likely to continue all week.

The spill will swell rivers and waterways around the region with concern over localised flooding.

SES members have already been working hard to prevent flooding in other regions of the state.

Volunteers sandbagged areas around Forbes and Cowra where the Wyangala Dam is spilling. The Lachlan River, in Cowra, peaked at over 12 metres on Saturday with major flooding expected at Nanami today.

The Bureau of Meteorology said its greatest concern was for Forbes, with major flooding expected on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

The water is expected to reach similar levels to 2016 when homes were flooded.

SES acting southern zone commander Barry Griffiths told the ABC locals had time to prepare.

“We will see water moving through the township of Forbes,” he said.

“Our advice is to start preparing for flooding right now. Flooding is going to come through town. There is time. You do have a lot of time to be able to prepare.”

The SES has already received more than 300 calls for help in the past few days with at least 12 flood rescues completed by volunteers.

SES’ David Rankin said people need to make “sensible decisions” during floods.

“Don’t drive your car through it, it’s the easiest way to put yourself in a pretty significant amount of danger,” he told the ABC.

“It puts our volunteers in danger when they have to come and rescue you. We want them to be safe when they‘re out on the job too. If it’s flooded, forget it.”

Originally published as Flood concerns for NSW rivers after a week of wild weather