Almost all residents in the now cut-off town of Moulamein near the New South Wales-Victorian border have chosen to stay and defend their community, as unprecedented floodwaters continue to rise.
Moulamein in the NSW Riverina has been under threat of inundation, due to flooding along the Billabong Creek and Edward River, which flow through parts of the township.
The State Emergency Service (SES) asked all residents to evacuate under escort by 2pm on Tuesday, amid concerns the situation could deteriorate over the coming days.
SES southern zone incident controller Shane Hargrave said roads in and out of the town were now closed, including Pretty Pine Road along which Tuesday's evacuation effort took place, with the community isolated and accessible only by boat.
"We do encourage the community to heed the warnings and make those decisions to move away," he said.
"But we'll ensure that anyone who does remain, we are able to still attempt any rescue or medical issues, that we can support."
The majority of residents chose to remain and have been bolstering levees and gathering supplies.
Public information officer Scott McLennan said only five residents accepted the SES's offer to be evacuated to a relief centre at Deniliquin, in the state's south-east.
"The risk that [those who stayed] now face, is that they will be isolated," he said.
"Unfortunately that means getting any resources to them or resupply is not going to be as quick or easy."
The local primary school was closed due to the flood risk and residents at the aged care centre were relocated to another facility.
Mr McLennan said floodwaters had already cut off several rural properties outside the town levee.
"How long the water stays up we don't know. It could be a week it could be two weeks, it could be longer," he said.
"The challenge that we face is that services may also be cut."
RFS strike teams flown in to assist
Resident Ian Tully had been working with the Rural Fire Service (RFS) to prepare Moulamein for the approaching waters.
He said the town had been monitoring the flood risk for several weeks but the situation was constantly changing.
"Banks that were once thought to be sufficiently high are no longer and they need topping up, and there are weak spots here and there that need attention," he said.
RFS strike teams have been flown in from Albury and Deniliquin to assist in the flood response.
Mr Tully said he and others in the town chose to stay "to help out and support each other."
"Everybody feels like we are all in this together and therefore we have got to do what we can," he said.
"It is obviously a very serious situation, that is very much the mood at the moment and we are just taking it as it comes.
"It is a very unsettling experience for most people."
Banks built to protect homes
Kathy Munro, who runs the Moulamein Post Office, said she would be staying in the town to deliver the community's mail.
She said her property was not under immediate threat.
"We are just going to sit and wait," she said.
"We are on the river and we have a levee around our house, which is constantly being topped up.
"It has been a slow burn up until now but authorities are doing the best they can without putting people in panic mode."
Cassie Jackson runs a local grocery store in the town and said most families like her own had evacuated their elderly family members and were working frantically to build levee banks to protect their properties.
"They're on the tractors and dozers for 15 hours straight," she said.
"Everyone is just exhausted … there's still homes getting banks built around them now everyday, and it won't stop until the water goes down."
