Key Points
- It follows weeks of severe weather in NSW, with multiple regional towns including Forbes, Eugowra and Condoblin recovering from record flooding.
- About 10,000 kilometres of roads have been damaged by recent deluges, the premier said earlier this week.
Counsellors will be deployed to flood-ravaged areas in regional NSW to help exhausted locals as they work to get back on track after months of severe weather.
"It has been a very difficult time for everybody," Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Friday.
"It has been gruelling. There are many people who are tired, exhausted, emotional. It is a long journey ahead."
Six Lifeline crisis counsellors will be sent to towns in the central west to provide mental health care to people affected by the destruction.
It comes as NSW enters its 73rd day of severe weather, with multiple regional towns including Forbes, Eugowra and Condoblin recovering from record flooding.
Badly damaged regional communities will also be given additional cash to repair regional roads, with the premier saying he had sought assurances from Treasurer Matt Kean and Regional Roads Minister Sam Farraway have funding in place.
About 10,000 kilometres of roads have been damaged by recent deluges, the premier said earlier this week.
Flood damage is seen in Forbes, Central West New South Wales, on Monday, 21 November 2022. Authorities are warning it could be months before flooding impacts are resolved in NSW. Source: AAP / LUCY CAMBOURN
"But we will be allocating the funding required to make sure we get our communities back on their feet as quickly as possible."
A second team of emergency responders arrived in Sydney from New Zealand on Friday, and will join the SES and 18 flood rescue specialists sent from Singapore as they work from a rescue base in Forbes.
"We are continuing to experience a substantial amount of flooding on most inland rivers in NSW," NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Sean Kearns said.
Major flooding will continue in other parts of the southwest on Saturday, including Euabalong where the Lachlan River on Friday peaked higher than its 1952 level.
Flooding is occurring at the nearby towns of Jemalong, Condoblin and Hillston, with peaks expected to continue into next week.
Record flooding is also occurring at Moulamein in the state's southwest, where the SES has urged residents to shelter in place as flooding cuts all access roads.
The Edward River surrounding the town is not expected to fall until December.
In Victoria, continued flooding on the Murray River could make for hazardous conditions on polling day.
People around the regional hub of Mildura have been warned to be safe around waterways as floodwaters are not expected to fall until mid-next week.
"It is an incredibly dangerous environment that rivers are moving so swiftly," Victorian State Emergency Service deputy chief Alistair Drayton told AAP.
A strong wind warning is also in place for the East Gippsland Coast on Saturday.
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