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Forbes residents Peter and Robin Walker made the tough decision to leave their cat behind on Friday as they prepared for the flood event.
Forbes resident Justin Walker helps sandbag a friend’s home in the “calm before the storm”. Credit:Nick Moir
The couple took their two small dogs, but their cat wouldn’t leave the roof.
“Cats are survivors,” Peter declared as he left his home.
NSW SES Zone Commander Ben Pickup said major flooding would likely continue in the affected region until at least Saturday.
“I really encourage the community of Forbes - please listen to the warning information,” he said.
Andrew Quirk, who works at Forbes’ water treatment plant, said he noticed some complacency in the town that he put down to weariness amid yet another flood event.
Peter and Robin Walker leave their home in Fenfree St in Forbes as the water levels continue to rise. Credit:Nick Moir
“It wasn’t until [Wednesday] that everyone realised ‘shit, this thing is big’,” he said.
“Now the whole town has gone into panic. I’m a bit pessimistic, but there’s a lot of people that weren’t around in 1990, and I think they’re in for a bit of a shock.”
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Cattle farmer Charles Laverty said about one third of his paddocks were already underwater and said farmers were struggling to recover from repeated bouts of destruction to crops and livestock.
“A lot of (my neighbours) have given up on harvesting those areas, which is very expensive,” Laverty said.
“The losses are going to be devastating for them.”
In a joint announcement from the state and federal government on Friday morning, primary producers affected by the ongoing floods in NSW can apply for recovery grants of up to $25,000.
A helicopter laden with emergency supplies lands in Forbes on June 20, 1952.Credit:Stuart MacGladrie
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the recent floods had created a “real and devastating” impact for farmers.
“Our thoughts are with the people of NSW who have been doing it tough but continue to show immense courage and resilience,” he said in a statement.
That resilience was put to the test on Thursday evening after police found a body believed to be one of two Sydney men who were swept away in floodwaters in the Southern Tablelands on Monday night.
Sydney fathers Bob Chahine and Ghosn Ghosn had been identified as the men washed away on Monday night before police divers found the body near Preston Creek where the pair went missing. The search is continuing on Friday for the second man at Bevendale, about 50 kilometres east of Boorowa.
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The Murrumbidgee River has also burst its banks with major floods peaking overnight and evacuation orders for Wagga Wagga in place.
Major flooding is also occurring at Gundagai with river levels now higher than April 1989 floods.
The flooding from the Lachlan River is also causing inundations in the town of Nanami and flooding continues further downstream at Condobolin, with the river not expected to fall for weeks.
With AAP
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