Flood emergencies are continuing to threaten lives and property in parts of New South Wales and Victoria.
Key events
Live updates
By Jordan Hayne
What to do in an emergency
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For emergency assistance, contact NSW SES on 132 500
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If your life is at risk, call Triple Zero (000) immediately
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Roads and bridges may be impacted by flash flooding. You can find the latest evacuation orders here
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For the latest weather updates visit the Bureau of Meteorology
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If you're not sure what to do when there's a flood, here's the best way to plan
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Tune your radio to the ABC. You can search for your local frequency using the ABC Radio Finder
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And, as the authorities always stress, you should never attempt to drive through floodwaters
By Nicholas McElroy
That's all from the NSW flood blog today
Thanks for following along. Stay safe out there.
You can keep an eye out on updates at www.abc.net.au/news/.
By Nicholas McElroy
Here's the latest BOM update on flooding in NSW
- Major flooding is occurring at Forbes, where the Lachlan River was at 10.68m at 8am today
- There is the possibility the river could reach 10.8m later today
- River levels may remain high into the weekend due to large inflows and releases at Wyangala Dam
- Major flooding is occuring at Condoboloin, Nanami, Euabalong, Warren, Hay, Barham, Boundary Bend, Bourke, Brewarrina, Hillston, Jemalong, Mungindi, Walgett and Wee Waa
- Moderate flooding is occuring at Cowra and many other towns along the Murray River
By Nicholas McElroy
'The more it stays the worse the damage gets': Photos show impact of flooding in Forbes
The bottom floor of Jayne and Greg Whitworth's Forbes home is completely inundated, with the couple up to their thighs in floodwater.
They had to keep moving furniture higher and higher on Wednesday, as the water level rose farther than the extensive flooding two weeks ago.
Some furniture has been knocked over by the fast moving water.
"The downstairs is completely totalled," Ms Whitworth said.
"The flow is quite big, so you've got to be very careful where you're walking, what you're doing at any given point," Ms Whitworth said.
They’re living upstairs and looking after their pets, and are now agonisingly waiting for the floodwater to come down.
"In the house and the stairway the skirting boards have lifted," she said.
"The more it stays the worse the damage gets."
By Tim Swanston and Harriet Tatham
By Nicholas McElroy
Police appeal to public as third person may be missing in NSW floodwaters
NSW Police are appealing for public assistance as they search for a third person who may have been swept away in floodwaters at Eugowra, in the state's central west.
In a statement, police say an officer was helping an elderly woman in floodwaters at the intersection of Loftus and Parkes Streets about 9:40am on Monday when she said she saw the body of a man in floodwaters.
"The officer was unable to leave the trapped woman and she lost sight of the body in floodwaters," NSW Police say.
"As there have been no further reports of people missing from the area, police are now making a public appeal to identify the person, while they continue to search the surrounding area."
The man was described as being aged in his 20s, of Caucasian appearance, with a slim build and fair hair.
Police are appealing to anyone who knows of a man matching the description above, and who hasn't been accounted for, to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
By Nicholas McElroy
It's too wet to install flood gauges at Ungarie
A small town in the state's west is still without flood gauges on its creek, with the local council saying they have not been able to install them.
Ungarie, which sits between Condobolin and West Wyalong, has been inundated at least five times in the last decade.
The creek has no water-level-monitoring stations, meaning residents rely on local knowledge and rainfall totals to predict floodwater heights.
The local Bland Shire Council says it hasn't been able to install flood gauges at Ungarie's Humbug Creek because of wet weather.
Council's general manager Grant Baker said a number of natural disasters since November last year has made the installations difficult.
"Unfortunately with the creek constantly in a state of flood, it's been impossible to actually install them," he said.
"The intel the flood gauges will provide to those who respond to flooding is really important but obviously you can't do it while the creek or rivers are in flood."
By Victor Petrovic
By Nicholas McElroy
Homes lost to flooding in Condobolin, says SES
The SES says some homes have been lost in Condobolin where already record flooding is predicted to worsen ahead of a peak on Friday.
People in more than 20 streets at Condobolin and Willow Bend have been told to leave by 2pm due to rising floodwaters.
"We've got homes that we never expected to lose that are full of water," Sue Bennett from the SES said.
A registration centre has been set up at the town's library for those who can't stay with family or friends.
The Lachlan River at Condobolin is now at 7.41m, well above the 1952 record of 7.37m and is set to rise further.
At Forbes, the river is believed to have reached its major peak.
The SES says it expects the major flooding will remain at this level into the weekend.
By Joanna Woodburn, ABC Central West
By Jordan Hayne
Climate change means there's no such thing as an average year, expert says
Agronomist and agricultural researcher Kate Burke is warning people across Australia, and particularly farmers, that extreme weather events will only become more common.
"We used to think of droughts and floods that happened once in a generation. Now they're happening every few years," she says.
"Just in the past 20 years, we've had 2011, 2016, and 2022 being very wet years.
Here's the full story from the ABC Rural team:
By Jordan Hayne
Indigenous elder warns burial sites could be impacted by flooded Murray
Indigenous burial sites along the Murray could be impacted by predicted widespread flooding in South Australia, an elder is warning.
Mannum Aboriginal Community Association chair Ivy Campbell says sites that hold special significance to local Indigenous people could be impacted.
"But if anything does find anything … ring the local council up and they'll give us a call and we can go out and have a look," she says.
"If anything does come up, people might get confused between animal remains and human remains."
Read the full story here:
By Jordan Hayne
Governor-General visits Forbes
The Governor-General has visited Forbes, which is experiencing its second major flood this month.
David Hurley and his wife Linda visited key operation sites including the Forbes RFS, where they received a briefing on the flooding situation along the Lachlan River.
Local SES controller Roc Walshaw told Mr Hurley they expected the flooding situation along the Lachlan to last "weeks" and impacts would be felt for at least six months.
Accompanied by Mayor Phyllis Miller, the pair also toured the SES headquarters where the Air Force is contributing to sandbagging efforts.
Reporting by Penny Burfitt
By Jordan Hayne
SA government to detail expected flood impacts
The South Australian government will provide an update within the next few hours on latest estimates of the looming Riverland floods.
A massive amount of water is expected to flow down the Murray into SA from early December.
The state government is finalising several measures to help the region, with the Premier Peter Malinauskas to travel there next week to announce support package details.
The Premier says a flood recovery coordinator will also be appointed, but the role won't deal with the flood as it unfolds.
By Jordan Hayne
SES tells parts of Condobolin to evacuate
People in parts of Condobolin near the Lachlan River are being directed by the SES to evacuate.
- People in a section of Willow Bend and East Condoblin are being told to evacuate now.
- Those in other low-lying properties along a section of river have been told to evacuate by 2pm.
If you are unable to find somewhere safe to stay, a registration point has been set up at Condobolin Public Library.
For full details on the affected areas, you can go to the SES website.
Condobolin is already experiencing some of its highest ever flood waters and has been cut off for days.
The river at Condobolin Bridge is sitting at about 7.42 metres, with concerns it could reach 7.6 metres during Friday.
By Jordan Hayne
SES video shows conditions faced by teams deployed to flood zones
By Jordan Hayne
Mental health concerns for affected communities
A psychologist from flood-hit Forbes says she's concerned the disaster will hit people in NSW's Central West hard.
Claire McCosker, who runs clinics in Forbes, already has a three-month waiting list.
"It's just one thing after another," she says.
"They're not having a chance to relax and come back to a state of calm and safety, which has a huge impact on the body's central nervous system."
By Jordan Hayne
The 'overwhelming' toll hitting the Forbes community
Parkes Shire Deputy Mayor Neil Westcott says 2022 has been 'a year of challenges'.
Here's his full interview with ABC News Breakfast:
By Jordan Hayne
Condobolin may be flood-struck, but it still needs its milk deliveries
By Jordan Hayne
Federal government deploys ADF to assist
Two hundred defence personnel will be deployed to flood-stricken areas of Central West NSW.
The federal government approved the request for ADF support made by the NSW government.
Federal Emergency Services Minister Murray Watt says personnel will be sent communities near the Lachlan River, where there is widespread damage and thousands have been displaced.
"They will be situated in communities like Forbes, Eugowra and those other communities where we are seeing terrible damage inflicted on people," he says.
Senator Watt also says it's too early to tell how large the damage bill from ongoing floods will be.
By Jordan Hayne
WATCH: NSW Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke welcomes Singapore flood rescuers
The 18 specialists have come to NSW to relieve exhausted crews.
"With our volunteers and emergency services personnel fatigued, we have for the first time in the SES's history, reached out internationally for additional support," she says.
"We are so deeply grateful to you."
Another international team of flood rescue experts from New Zealand arrived earlier this week.
By Jordan Hayne
Hopes Lachlan River has peaked at Forbes
Authorities say they believe the Lachlan River at Forbes, in the state's Central West, has hit its major flood peak.
The river has been hovering at 10.68 metres for the past day or so and is steady.
The river had been expected to reach the record height of 10.8 metres this morning, equalling the town's highest flood in 1952.
But Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller says authorities hope the peak has been reached.
By Jordan Hayne
SA looks ahead to flood risks
SA is already looking ahead to a risky month as floodwaters flow into the state.
The SA SES will hold ongoing weekly sandbagging events across the Riverland region, as the River Murray rises.
Up to 5,000 homes and businesses could be affected, as floodwaters make their way to the area, with locals told the flows will get to 220 gigalitres a day by mid-December.
