Woman’s body found in NSW flood emergency

Phoebe Loomes | October 24, 2022

A woman’s body has been recovered from a flooded river’s edge in the NSW central west as the premier warns a major flood emergency is in full swing.

A multi-agency search began late Sunday after a woman, 28, disappeared when the vehicle she was in was washed off a causeway near Gulgong, north of Mudgee.

Three people, including the 45-year-old male driver and two male passengers, escaped the vehicle, but the woman was swept away.

After an extensive search, a body believed to be the missing 28-year-old was found on the riverbank at 9.50am on Monday.

Premier Dominic Perrottet extended his condolences to the woman’s family and friends, and urged people not to drive on flooded roads.

“We have a major flood emergency in full swing right across our state,” Mr Perrottet told reporters on Monday.

“If it is flooded, forget it. You wouldn’t drive into a bushfire – don’t drive into the floodwaters.”

Some 135 SES warnings are in place across the state, including 20 emergency evacuation warnings.

Some 43 local government areas are subject to a natural disaster declaration.

Some 27 flood warnings are current, including nine where floods could reach major levels.

The premier reiterated pleas for people in evacuation zones to follow advice to leave when instructed to do so.

“Do not wait for a knock on the door from the SES. Please evacuate.”

The SES received some 482 calls for help and carried out 37 flood rescues in the last 24 hours, with crews from WA arriving to assist to 550 volunteers on the ground on Monday.

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for much of inland NSW on Monday afternoon, with a warning of damaging winds, large hailstones and heavy falls across a large warning area.

The danger zone extends from Wentworth in the west to Bourke in the north, and Moree and Inverell in the central north, and Mudgee, Orange and Katoomba in the east, with towns likely to be affected including Orange, Tamworth, Dubbo, Cobar, Bourke and Lightning Ridge.

A second low pressure system off the coast of Yamba in Northern NSW is bringing heavy falls to the Northern Rivers, however fears of major flooding in the area have eased, the Bureau of Meteorology’s Steven Bernasconi says.

A severe weather warning that covered much of NSW was cancelled on Monday despite the Northern Rivers town of Alstonville receiving 233mm of rainfall in a 24-hour period, and multiple other areas receiving more than 100mm.

Rain and possible severe thunderstorms will continue on Tuesday across the South Coast, before the weather eases on Wednesday.

There are also concerns for the far northern agricultural town of Moree, experiencing its worst flooding in a decade, where farmers had been preparing to harvest crops.

The Mehi River at Moree peaked at 10.5 metres on Sunday and is expected to remain above the major flood level (8.8m) into Tuesday.

Further grants for primary producers, small businesses and rural and regional councils may also be on the way, with the premier saying he has requested further assistance from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

“Those primary producers have gone through a very difficult time,” Mr Perrottet said.

The premier, who will tour flood-impacted parts of the state this week, said he wanted to ensure no community was left behind, and grants would be a partnership between the state and the Commonwealth.

Moree Plains Shire Mayor Mark Johnson said there was a sense of relief on Sunday night when the river started to recede but also apprehension about the clean-up.

Authorities are watching the southern border town of Moama, with major flooding expected on Tuesday, when the Murray River peaks at 94.9m above sea level.

The Murray’s peak at Moama is expected to break a peak level set in both 1993 and 1975.