Floods from Queensland isolate villages in New South Wales
March 16, 2010 – 6:21AM (AAP) — Floods from Queensland have entered northern NSW, cutting off roads and isolating farms and small communities. Following torrential rain that deluged southern parts of Queensland in late February and early March, the State Emergency Service (SES) is warning residents in the Weilmoringle and Goodooga communities, in Brewarrina Shire, to leave their homes because of a risk of property damage. Road access in and out of Goodooga is likely to be cut off by floodwaters by the weekend, while the village’s Bokhara River is expected to peak near 4.3 metres on Sunday, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said. Residents there could be isolated for up to six weeks, the SES warned. Towns already cut off by floodwaters include Paroo, Wanaaring and Angledool. Residents of Lightning Ridge are likely to be surrounded by floodwaters later this week, potentially isolating the town for about a week, the SES said. Swollen rivers – including the Paroo, Warego, Darling, Bokhara, Culgoa, Birrie and Narren Rivers – may inundate tens of thousands of hectares, from Walgett to the Queensland boarder and west towards Bourke, Emergency Services Minister Steve Whan said. People living in affected areas need to make sure they either evacuate ahead of the rising waters, or be prepared to be isolated for some time.
