SES Commissioner Carlene York urges people to think about Christmas holiday plans amid flooding

SES commissioner Carlene York was in Wagga earlier this week, taking in flood damage in the Riverina which, along with the Central West, has been ravaged by rising water levels.

Commissioner York said the Bureau of Meteorology indicated flooding would continue until after Christmas even without any more rain.

She said she expected the SES to continue to respond to flooding until February next year and asked anyone planning to travel over the holiday period to stay up to date with road closures.

"It's really dangerous when people don't know the area," she said.

"When you have visitors coming into these areas, it's important to plan ahead, check Live Traffic as well as the local council sites."

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Commissioner York confirmed the flood event was the biggest the SES had ever confronted and in response, she said they had deployed the most resources in the organisation's history, including overseas personnel from Singapore and New Zealand.

About 500 volunteers were responding to the floods per day, Commissioner York said SES would bring in more foreign personnel should the floods worsen.

"We are in here for the long term, and so we just need to make sure that our personnel are well rested and ready to come back and help the community," she said.

"At the moment, I'm talking with the Commonwealth and discussing with America and Canada... as to whether or not we need those resources."

Residents of Euabalong in the state's west were issued an emergency warning to evacuate by the NSW State Emergency Service (NSW SES) on Wednesday as significant major flooding occurred along the Lachlan River.

The NSW SES had teams at Euabalong, including teams from several NSW partner agencies and Fire and Emergency New Zealand, with further support from members of the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Dean Storey said resources were being focused on towns including Condobolin and Euabalong along the Lachlan River, Bourke on the Darling River and Deniliquin and Moulamein on the Edward River.

"NSW SES members conducted community liaison in preparation for this predicted major flood in Euabalong. NSW SES continues to undertake resupply for essential goods and medication while they remain isolated and sandbag requests," he said.

"When leaving your house due to an evacuation order, residents should turn off electricity and gas at the mains or supply, take your pets with you and never travel through floodwater."

In the Central West, the clean-up continues at Eugowra after the town was virtually wiped out by an 'inland tsunami' last week.

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