Town partly evacuated in N.S.W. floods

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34084, 23 February 1976, Page 1

Town partly evacuated in N.S.W. floods

(Xew Zealand Press Association—Copyright) SYDNEY. February 22. More than one-third of the inhabitants of Collarenebri. in north-centra) New South \\ ales, have been flown out after the town’s worst Hood this century.

A Royal Australian Air Force Caribou aircraft today ferried another SO people to towns further south where they would be safe.

Onlv about 500 people of the population of 850 remain in the town, where water a metre deep swirls through streets and low-lying houses. However, the Barwon River, which reached a height of 8.92 metres in Collarenebri early on Saturday morning, has fallen slightly.

Despite intermittent rain in the area, the State Emergency Service expects the river to continue to drop slowly. A wall has been hastily constructed around the town’s airstrip to keep the strip serviceable.

Arrangements have been made for boats to transport sewage and garbage away from the town.

A Red Cross team was flown to Coonamble at the j week-end, where it has set lup emergency welfare facilities for people from Collar enebri.

As waters recede in Collarenebri, the flood danger will move to Walgett, about 70 km downstream on the banks of the Barwon. Authorities expected the Barwon River, fed by floodwater from the Culgoa, Berrie, Macintyre, Gwydir, and Natnoi rivers, to reach a peak in Walgett on Wednesday at 13.7 metres, its highest since 1890.

I A state emergency service I spokesman said in Sydney I that flooding in Walgett was lexpected to be “pretty severe.”

I But the deputy- controller [of the state emergency service in the town. Mr W. Coombes, said that he had no doubt that strong retaining walls surrounding Walgett. which has a population of 2500. would [hold. ‘NO NEED TO PANIC’ Mr Coombes said that no evacuations from the town were planned. "Things are under control and there is no need for anyone to panic,” he said. Three flood rescue boats with water-police crews will [go tomorrow to Brewarrina, 120 km west of Walgett, where heavy flooding is expected next'week. Another boat will go to Bourke, which will probably be flooded as the flood crest moves west.

ROADS, AIRPORTS OUT Collarenebri, together with Boomi, Weemelah, Lightning Ridge, Goodooga, and Wauwaring are only accessible by road, and all roads to the north and north-west of Moree remained closed. The airstrips at Tibooburra and Pilliga are still closed. The Bureau of Meteorology said it expected the rain, which was still falling iate this afternoon in Collarenebri and Walgett, to clear by late tomorrow.

The bureau said it had not been heaw enough to aggravate the flood.

The R.A.A.F. is making fodder-drops to stranded stock. Nine helicopter sorties [have dropped a total of 3020 bales for 60,000 stranded [sheep and 1000 cattle. : The police and local [authorities said that stock losses would be severe, in spite of the fact that every effort was being made to [save animals from drowning and starvation.