NSW: Tamworth declared natural disaster zone after flooding
By Karen Davis and Katelyn John29 Nov 2008 5:24 PM
SYDNEY, Nov 29 AAP - Tamworth has been declared a natural disaster zone after severe flooding trapped people in their homes and cars and cut the town in two.
The Peel River peaked at almost six metres after more than 200mm of rain deluged the area over the past 36 hours, causing widespread flash flooding.
The river peaked at 5.9 metres at about 9am (AEDT) on Saturday and West Tamworth remains cut off, the State Emergency Service (SES) says.
Visiting the flood-ravaged northern NSW city on Saturday state Emergency Services Minister Tony Kelly declared the area a natural disaster zone, promising financial assistance for residents and business owners devastated by the waters.
"The natural disaster declaration ... will provide for a range of assistance to residents, business owners and councils whose properties were damaged in the storms," Mr Kelly said in a statement.
"Most importantly, it ensures councils are reimbursed for the cost of repairing public infrastructure."
An SES spokeswoman said the service had taken almost 170 calls for help, mainly to help patch up leaking roofs and assist with sandbagging.
"People stranded across causeways, people who have been washed off causeways, people in trees, people trapped in vehicles," a local SES controller told ABC Radio.
Eleven people were rescued from floodwaters overnight, including a grandmother and her 10-year-old grandson who were washed from their vehicle on a flooded causeway, Mr Kelly said.
"About 130 homes have been impacted in some way by the storms or flash flooding, with seven residents last night evacuated and receiving assistance from the Department of Community Services," he said.
"I would urge people not to enter floodwaters under any circumstances. It is impossible to tell how deep or quickly floodwaters are flowing, particularly in the dark."
Mr Kelly said the floodwaters had caused extensive road damage, with many roads washed out.
All access routes except the main bridge into Tamworth had been cut and the Oxley Highway had been closed for some time but since reopened.
"A great deal of fencing is also down and there are reports of serious stock losses," he said.
NSW Premier Nathan Rees, attending the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in Canberra, said everything was under control in Tamworth.
"I'm still being briefed by our SES people on that. As far as I'm aware everything's under control in Tamworth," he told reporters in Canberra on Saturday.
"(Heavy rain) in an area that's been drought-stricken for some time - it's the dual-edged sword that rural Australia is so used to."
