Second body found, NSW on flood alert

November 06, 2022 09:05 PM AEDT | By AAPNEWS
Image source: AAPNEWS

NSW Police divers have located a second body of a man believed to be one of two men who fell off the back of a utility swept away in floodwaters.

The body was recovered at about 11.15am on Sunday during a search operation in Bevendale. The first body was recovered on Thursday and police say they have not been formally identified but are believed to be the missing pair.

Meanwhile, residents in flood-hit NSW communities are being warned to brace for another burst of wild weather that could bring more flooding to the state's soaked west.

Ninety-nine flood warnings were in place in NSW on Sunday afternoon as the state remained in the midst of a weeks-long flood crisis, with the central west towns of Forbes and Wagga Wagga worst hit in recent days.

The Lachlan River at Forbes reached a peak of 10.7 metres on Saturday, slightly below a record set in 1952, while south at Wagga Wagga the Murrumbidgee River peaked on Friday at 9.72m, its highest level in a decade.

As waters slowly receded on Sunday some residents of affected towns returned to assess damage, however state emergency services cautioned it was too early to measure the full impact.

"It's going to be a big couple of days of emergency response in this community until these floodwaters recede and then we can get in and do those damage assessments," NSW SES chief superintendent Ashley Sullivan told ABC TV.

Late Sunday, the Bureau of Meteorology warned the flood risk continued, issuing a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of the Riverina, Lower Western, Upper Western and Central West Slopes and Plains areas.

The Bureau said weather systems in the state's west had combined to produce slow-moving thunderstorms, which could bring heavy rainfall.

"Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding ... over the next several hours. Locations which may be affected include Wagga Wagga, Albury, Deniliquin, Hay, Cobar and Balranald," the forecaster said on its website.

Earlier, emergency responders in Forbes warned conditions were hazardous due to fast-flowing water and the risk of contaminants such as toxic chemicals and sewerage.

NSW SES Forbes unit commander Robert "Rocky" Walshaw said the clean-up would be a slow process as it took a long time for the floodwaters to drain away.

"I've seen shots of it from the air, from the (helicopters), and it's just water everywhere," Mr Walshaw told AAP.

Emergency services fielded 105 calls for help in Forbes on Saturday, while statewide it received nearly 280 requests and carried out 27 flood rescues.

There have been warnings that in coming days rises were likely at Carrathool and further downstream at Hay, with major flooding possible from mid-November. 

Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Sunday authorities were better prepared in their flood response than in floods earlier this year in Lismore, noting the rapid deployment of 50 defence force personnel to help with rescues and clean-up in Forbes, Moama and Moree.

Meanwhile, around 20,000 residents remained without hot water and gas for cooking in Bathurst, Lithgow, Oberon and Wallerawang for another month after a gas pipeline was damaged due to the Macquarie River flooding.

Deputy Premier Paul Toole said on Sunday that APA Group - the owner of the gas pipeline - was working on solutions to restore gas supply as quickly possible.

Across the border in Victoria, more than 40 flood alerts were in place on Sunday as authorities warned people on the Murray River at Kenley to evacuate.

Along the Murray River, at Echuca and Moama, major flooding is expected to continue this week, while at Mildura water levels are forecast to rise through November and December.


Disclaimer

The content, including but not limited to any articles, news, quotes, information, data, text, reports, ratings, opinions, images, photos, graphics, graphs, charts, animations and video (Content) is a service of Kalkine Media Pty Ltd (“Kalkine Media, we or us”), ACN 629 651 672 and is available for personal and non-commercial use only. The principal purpose of the Content is to educate and inform. The Content does not contain or imply any recommendation or opinion intended to influence your financial decisions and must not be relied upon by you as such. Some of the Content on this website may be sponsored/non-sponsored, as applicable, but is NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold the stocks of the company(s) or engage in any investment activity under discussion. Kalkine Media is neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice through this platform. Users should make their own enquiries about any investments and Kalkine Media strongly suggests the users to seek advice from a financial adviser, stockbroker or other professional (including taxation and legal advice), as necessary.
The content published on Kalkine Media also includes feeds sourced from third-party providers. Kalkine does not assert any ownership rights over the content provided by these third-party sources. The inclusion of such feeds on the Website is for informational purposes only. Kalkine does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the content obtained from third-party feeds. Furthermore, Kalkine Media shall not be held liable for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the content obtained from third-party feeds, nor for any damages or losses arising from the use of such content.
Kalkine Media hereby disclaims any and all the liabilities to any user for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising from any use of the Content on this website, which is provided without warranties. The views expressed in the Content by the guests, if any, are their own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Kalkine Media. Some of the images/music that may be used on this website are copyrighted to their respective owner(s). Kalkine Media does not claim ownership of any of the pictures displayed/music used on this website unless stated otherwise. The images/music that may be used on this website are taken from various sources on the internet, including paid subscriptions or are believed to be in public domain. We have made reasonable efforts to accredit the source wherever it was indicated as or found to be necessary.
This disclaimer is subject to change without notice. Users are advised to review this disclaimer periodically for any updates or modifications.


AU_advertise

Advertise your brand on Kalkine Media

Sponsored Articles


Investing Ideas

Previous Next
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.