Warwick and Robin Rolfe were preparing for the rising flood waters in the New South Wales central west town of Forbes as the the State Emergency Service issued a flood evacuation order for 800 properties in low-lying areas.
The water was already breaking the banks of the Lachlan River as local authorities made preparations to safeguard the town and its inhabitants ahead of the expected peak on Wednesday.
“This is part of living on the river. It’s come slowly and given us enough time to prepare,” Robin Rolfe said.
NSW floods: Forbes residents ordered to evacuate before water closes roadsRead more
The water was lapping at their property, Torig Park, where it would already have entered if it wasn’t for their levy and the initial layer of sandbagging they had set down.
The couple planned to stay at their place, as they did in 2012. They said every flood was different and flood was very different to fire.
“What happens with water is water divides and fire unites. If there’s a big fire here, everybody pulls together but when it’s water it’s a totally different situation,” Warwick Rolfe said.
“People put up banks and it upsets people because it takes the water in different directions and channels the water one way so it can’t spread over the landscape.”
Residents in low-lying areas were given until 9.30pm on Tuesday to evacuate.
SES and volunteers fill sandbags at their Forbes headquarters. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Barry Griffiths, the zone deputy commander, southern zone for the SES, said flooding around the southern sections of Forbes was a guarantee.
“The question mark is around whether or not the water itself will move up through the town centre,” Griffiths said.
In 2012, when the water level was 10.55 metres, Griffiths said it went through town. But in 2016, when the water was higher at 10.65, it did not go through the centre.
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“We’re confident we’re going to get 10.65, but how it gets there, when it gets there, really the flood’s going to make that decision for us,” Griffiths said.
According to Griffiths, “the biggest concern is the issue of potential flood rescues and people staying in their homes and not heeding to our warnings”.
“We know there are a number of people who’ve indicated to us that they’re not going to move.”
Chad the dog keeps a close eye on the SES at their Forbes headquarters as volunteers load sandbags. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
The Forbes SES unit commander, Robert “Roc” Walshaw, said preparations had been ongoing since Forbes experienced a minor flood in September.
As the peak of the flood approached, Walshaw said the river was rising steadily, about 4cm an hour.
Walshaw said most of the people in the low-lying affected areas had already done the sandbagging to protect their property, which had come off the back of a massive effort that had seen volunteers working “constantly until six or seven o’clock at night”.
Flood waters from the Lachlan River inundate fields along the Escort Way, cutting the road about 16km east of Forbes on the way to Eugowra. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
“We’ve been getting truckloads [of sand] every day, that’s how much we’re going through,” Walshaw said.
Forbes had seen approximately 100 SES volunteers in addition to the same number of community volunteers.
“They’re enjoying themselves because they’re doing something for their community. What I like about this town, they are very resilient and community-minded,” Walshaw said of the community volunteers.
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SES volunteers had come from across the state, as far away as Albury, Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Kiama, Ryde and Moss Vale.
Griffith said the flood was expected to be similar to 2016, but it was still uncertain whether it would go higher or lower than 10.55 – in Nanami it had already reached 25cm higher than 2016.
Griffiths said it was expected the flood waters would remain in Forbes for three to four days, as they did in 2016 and 2012.
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