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National

Wee Waa prepares to be cut off by floodwaters as Namoi River rises

The town of Wee Waa in north-west New South Wales is preparing to be isolated for up to a week as major flooding continues in the region.

The Namoi River peaked at Gunnedah above the major level at 8.16 metres on Sunday morning. It is now receding.

At Wee Waa the level peaked at 6.7m on Saturday evening, well above the major level.

State Emergency Service (SES) spokesperson David Rankine said local units have been preparing for roads into the town to be cut from tomorrow.

"Wee Waa could be cut off for a few days from tomorrow into Tuesday," he said.

Mr Rankine said parts of the community could be isolated for up to a week.

"We're not particularly concerned with inundation into town," he said.

"[But] there's going to be some prolonged isolation for anywhere up to a week in some instances due to this flood water."

Mr Rankine said preparations were well underway by local units to ensure residents were well equipped.

"We're preparing the community for restocking and resupplying, making sure that people have relevant food, water and medicines that they need," he said.

"We're encouraging the community to try to update and restock their supplies."

Community experienced with flooding

With several rescues already made by the Wee Waa SES unit, Mr Rankine has urged residents to exercise caution while driving.

The latest flood event is just one of several already experienced by the small community this year.

"The Wee Waa community aren't Robinson Crusoe when it comes to this type of flooding," Mr Rankine said.

"They've seen a number of floods in their community this year; at one stage they were isolated for six or seven weeks."

In the state's west, the SES is urging people in the town of Warren to also prepare for possible isolation.

The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted the Macquarie River could rise above the major flood level to 9m there tomorrow.

"Concerns with the Warren community are like that with Wee Waw; potential isolation rather than inundation," Mr Rankine said.

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