ITR-Floodwaters peak in storm battered Tamworth-JanEngland ITR Australia for InTouchRadio.net UK GLOBAL

Jan England InTouchRadio.net Australia for InTouchRadio.net UK GLOBAL

Floodwaters Peak

in Storm Battered Tamworth

The State Emergency Service is continuing to respond to calls for help after heavy rain caused flooding at Tamworth in north-western New South Wales overnight.

The city has been cut in two by the Peel River which has been swollen by run-off from the flooded Cockburn River and Goonoo Goonoo Creek, after major storms hit the area last night.

Namoi SES controller Andrew Galvin says they have received 170 calls for help, but the flood waters appear to have peaked.

"We have flood holding at six metres in Tamworth," he said.

"That is obviously the level that closes Bridge Street access between east and west Tamworth.

"We are expecting that the river will probably hold steady at the existing flood height of six metres."

Business owners in the low lying industrial area of Taminda are hoping they may have escaped most of the flooding because of the city's partially completed levee bank

But Mr Galvin says there are fears it might not be able to hold the water back.

"The levee is incomplete. It runs three quarters of the length of Taminda," he said.

"With a flood at the height we've got, there'd normally be water right through Taminda but that's not the case.

"I was unsure what the flood behaviour would be at this particular height but it looks like a good outcome for most of the businesses in Taminda."

'Dual-edged sword'

New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees says he is still being briefed on the situation.

"As far as I'm aware everything's under control in Tamworth," he said.

"But 150 millimetres of rain over the last 24 hours in an area that's been drought-stricken for some time - it's the dual-edged sword that rural Australia is so used to."

While the rain has broken the drought, valuable crops have been destroyed, including one of the best winter grain crops in the region for years.

At the same time however, the flooding is putting a large volume of water into the Namoi River that will eventually find its way into the Murray-Darling Basin.

Emergency services say they had several scares overnight after more than eight people were rescued after being stranded in floodwaters.

Dale Kimball of the Tamworth Regional Council says some motorists are continuing to put their lives at risk.

"We've actually had motorists get out and move road closed signs, so they could drive through dangerous areas," he said.

Now the people of Gunnedah downstream from Tamworth are bracing for the floodwaters to come their way in the next 24 hours.

Michael Dixon Founder of InTouchRadio.net

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