NSW floods leave 7000 isolated

More than 7000 people remain isolated in northern NSW from devastating floodwaters
that have begun to ease.
Entire towns have been evacuated, but a cyclone off the coast of flood-ravaged
Queensland is expected to spare NSW and not bring any additional rain, the NSW State
Emergency Service (SES) says.
The 'all clear' has been given for communities evacuated along the Clarence River on
the NSW north coast but residents at Yamba and Iluka will remain cut off until
Monday or Tuesday.
A total of 6000 people were isolated by floodwaters as of Saturday afternoon (AEDT).
"We're still resupplying them by flood boat," SES spokesman Phil Campbell said on
Saturday.
"Water levels are falling in some areas, which means we can get high-clearance
four-wheel drives in now but it's still not safe for members of the public to use
some of the back roads at the Clarence Valley."
Sixty-three local government areas in NSW have been declared natural disaster areas
since December as a result of flooding but the situation is set to improve.
"In NSW, the state is transitioning from the response phase to the recovery and
resupply phase," Mr Campbell said.
Most of the 650 residents of Boggabilla, near the Queensland border, had been
evacuated by the time the Macintyre River peaked at 12.6 metres at midday (AEDT) on
Friday.
"About 30 people remain in Boggabilla but those people are isolated. They're in a
part of a town that's safe and on high ground," Mr Campbell said.
Thirty per cent of the town was submerged, swamping backyards and a caravan park.
All of the 200 residents in the nearby town of Toomelah have left, and the SES said
a number of properties had been cut off by floodwaters.
Further west, the village of New Angledool became isolated on Sunday.
The river has passed the previous record of 2.87m and was slowly rising towards a
peak of 3.1m.
At least 36 residents in the town became isolated.
In far west NSW, the 350 residents of Goodooga are isolated and expected to remain
that way for another four to eight weeks.
The SES will continue to resupply the town by helicopter and is monitoring
downstream communities including Bourke, Louth, Tilpa, Wilcannia and Menindee.
In the Broken Hill region, several hundred farmers were stranded from heavy rains
that battered Victoria on Friday.
Some of the hardest-hit areas included Wilcannia, White Cliffs and Menindee.
"The dirt roads are still closed in western NSW," Mr Campbell said.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced on Saturday that the Australian Government
Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) will be available to NSW residents impacted by
flooding in disaster-declared Local Government Areas.
The AGDRP is a one-off payment of $1000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible
child to help them recover.
"This assistance is being extended to parts of northern NSW as we experience
unprecedented flooding in large parts of Australia," Ms Gillard said as she toured
Grafton with Attorney-General Robert McClelland.
Saturday's announcement is over and above the Disaster Income Recovery Subsidy - a
government payment for employees, small-business owners and farmers whose ability to
work has been affected by the flooding.
Other joint Commonwealth/NSW government help is also being provided under the
Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA), including grants of up to
$15,000 for small businesses and primary producers affected by flooding.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This email is intended for the use of the addressee only. If you receive this email
in error, please delete it immediately. This email may contain information which is
confidential and/or legally privileged. You must not use or disclose the contents of
this email, or add the sender's email address to any database, list or mailing list
unless you are expressly authorised to do so. The statements or views expressed in
this email are those of the individual sender and are not those of Australian
Associated Press Pty Ltd (AAP). These statements are not binding on AAP, except
where the sender expressly and with authority, states them to be. AAP is unable to
review the contents of all the email on its system. To the extent permitted by law,
AAP disclaims all liability for any loss or damage caused by the contents of this
email. www.aap.com.au