‘Waves of panic’: the horror and the heroes in the flood-ravaged NSW central west

Residents clean up in Eugowra as the NSW central west counts the toll of the recent flooding. Photograph: Murray Mccloskey/EPA

Mark Palmer knew his phone call with his mother could be cut off at any time. She was panicking as flood waters surged in Eugowra earlier this week.

Palmer lives in North Sydney and when he realised the danger his mother was in on Monday he jumped in his car and attempted to drive to the small town in western New South Wales.