NSW floods: three towns cut off by water relying on airdrops for food and medical supplies

An inundated street in Forbes on Sunday. The north-west New South Wales towns of Lightning Ridge, Collarenebri and Walgett have been cut off by floods. Photograph: Lucy Cambourn/AAP

Three New South Wales towns isolated by flood waters have formed a “flood island” triangle requiring airdrops of food and medicine, as more than 100 flood warnings remain in place across a state reeling from a weeks-long emergency.

There were 16 emergency warnings in place across NSW on Monday morning, with some towns predicted to see flooding like “they’ve never seen before”, the State Emergency Service said, while a massive clean up has begun in Wagga Wagga and Forbes, where water levels peaked over the weekend.