SES Cobar base prepares for massive
NSW flood event
Wednesday February 8, 2012
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State Emergency Service planning officer Michael Davison, Operations Clerk Allister Bevege, logistics officer Sandy Isberg, incident controller Gareme Craig and operations officer Gary Nelson at a briefing on the latest flood situation facing residents in north western NSW.
Preparations for potentially the biggest flood event to hit north western NSW in up to two decades are currently underway at Cobar’s State Emergency Service (SES) Far West head office.
Cobar-based SES Far West region operations controller Graeme Craig said the organisation is bracing and preparing for unprecedented water levels in remote communities such as Weilmoringle and Goodooga, with towns closer to Cobar such as Bourke and Tilpa also expected to be affected.
Floodwaters which have inundated far western Queensland towns such as Mitchell, St George and Roma are expected to make their way along the already swollen Barwon-Darling river system and affect the local region by the end of this month.
Mr Craig said with evacuations expected in the some remote western NSW towns along the river system, careful planning was required.
“We work on the premise of ‘plan for the worst’ and that’s what is happening out of our office here in Cobar,” Mr Craig said.
“As far as the evacuation planning goes, we are working on community engagement plans, working alongside with other government departments,” he said.
The small community of Tilpa is already isolated with floodwaters cutting access roads to the village.
“We have an aircraft based here in Cobar which is assisting with resupplying the isolated communities,” Mr Craig said.
“There’s also a large number of rural properties currently experiencing isolation which could potentially last until as far away as April.
Extra SES staff and volunteers have joined in the effort and are rotated on a regular basis to manage fatigue, with reinforcements flying from other units including the Sydney area and Nowra.
Mr Craig said he is expecting the number working out of the Cobar office to rise as the expected flood peak approaches.
“The message we want to make loud and clear is that farmers in the region need to get their livestock away from the river, and stock up on supplies for a reasonable amount of time.
“Most importantly, people should not walk, ride or drive into floodwaters—we cannot emphasise the hazards involved enough,” Mr Craig said.
“The SES is here to help and if you need assistance, call 132 500.”
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