Al-anwar Newspaper English news in Australia
Emergency services are still out searching for two missing Eugowra locals in raging flood waters as people continue to flee their homes and helicopters hovered over rural communities conducting rooftop rescues overnight.
In the last 24 hours, NSW SES responded to 329 calls for help and 17 rescues – most of those in Forbes where major flooding is occurring and the river – currently 10.67m – is threatening to exceed the 10.8m flood record from 1952.
Out of those rescues, 14 people were rescued from The Plainsmans Motel in town as it went underwater about 8pm. They were taken to the evacuation centre nearby.
Two hours later, a helicopter was tasked to winch a family of three – including two elderly people aged 84 and 78 year old and their daughter – along with their two small dogs from their Forbes home.
Just before 5am on Wednesday, two more people were plucked from a roof of a submerged vehicle in flood waters at Condobolin.
NSW SES currently has a total 121 warnings posted across the state including 25 emergency warnings.
Family members of 85-year-old Eugowra man Ljubisa ‘Les’ Vugec and 60-year-old woman Dianne Smith are still desperately searching for their loved ones who were reported missing on Tuesday.
Ms Smith last spoke to a family member on the phone in her car on Monday morning and has not responded to calls since and Mr Vugec was last spotted at his Eugowra home on Evelyn Street also on Monday morning, but has been unable to be located or contacted.
Police have launched an investigation into the whereabouts of the pair and are calling for any information regarding their location.
Miss Smith is described as being of caucasian appearance, 160cm tall with brown hair and Mr Vugec is described as being of caucasian appearance, between 180-185cm tall, of medium build, with grey hair and brown eyes.
This comes as the catastrophic disaster sends the township of Forbes into chaos, with residents remaining on knife edge as the rising river creeps towards a record peak of 10.79m and Water NSW makes further dam cuts.
Riverina MP Michael McCormack urged residents in Forbes on Tuesday afternoon to return to their homes or “organise alternate accommodation,” as the Council closes Oxford Street, which connects the CBD and South Forbes.
Wyangala Dam reached a peak release rate of 230 gigalitres per day on Monday after exceeding capacity on Sunday night. That was reduced 80 GL/day at 6am on Tuesday.
Residents in the Central West township of Maude were told on Tuesday afternoon to find shelter as the Murrumbidgee River at Hay exceeded the September 1974 flood level of 9.02m.
The swollen river is expected to peak around 9.20 metres during Wednesday with major flooding.
West of Maude, moderate flooding is occurring at Balranald with major flooding possible in early December.
Evacuations are also being urged in northern areas of Gunnedah in the North West Slopes region while a ‘watch and act’ warning has been issued for the entire town.
