A natural disaster has been declared in response to the widespread flooding which has occurred throughout Narrabri Shire and other parts of North West NSW.

The declaration ensures flood-affected areas of the shire can access special assistance measures.

In Narrabri, the Narrabri Creek was expected to peak on Monday night and into Tuesday morning, reaching a height of 7.6 metres, however, the SES later advised that a lower peak was expected.

As a precautionary measure, the SES and other emergency services worked on a modelled map of the town above this level. Potential properties that could have been impacted by the threat of floodwater were doorknocked across the weekend.

Swollen creeks and an overflowing Narrabri West lake saw roads and yards blanketed in water.

Streets and properties within the vicinity of the Ugoa Street end of the lake, Eathers Creek, the Namoi River, the lagoon in the village, Doctors Creek/Horsearm Creek and Narrabri Creek have been particularly impacted by floodwater.

A supercell thunderstorm which passed over Narrabri on Sunday evening complicated matters, with stormwater drains at capacity from the deluge. This caused water to build-up on many streets across Narrabri. However, the accumulated water eventually made its way through the stormwater system into the night on Sunday.

The Narrabri SES unit’s Reid Street facility has turned into flood headquarters for Narrabri, with emergency services and shire personnel convening to make decisions in relation to emergency preparedness and responses. The SES site has also been a hive of activity with the filling and distribution of sandbags in preparation for the rising water levels.

In a joint announcement, federal Minister for Emergency Management and National Recovery and Resilience, Senator Bridget McKenzie and NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services, David Elliott said assistance is being provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

“Severe weather from early November has continued to impact a number of communities across NSW, including further flooding and storm damage across the state,” Ms McKenzie said.

“Significant rainfall and flooding in a number of areas has resulted in damage to major roads and residential properties.”

Mr Elliott said the event had required a significant response from the NSW State Emergency Services.

“The assistance being announced today will help ensure councils and individuals impacted by this event have the support they need to get back on their feet,” he said.

Assistance available under the arrangements can include help for eligible people whose homes or belongings have been damaged (eligibility criteria apply), support for affected local councils to help with the costs of cleaning up and restoring damaged essential public assets, concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers and non-profit organisations, freight subsidies for primary producers, and grants to eligible non-profit organisations.

Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton has welcomed the support to local government areas, including Narrabri Shire.

“This will be welcome news for so many people who have been impacted by heavy rainfall and flooding over the past few weeks,” Mr Coulton said.

“Our farmers in particular have been dealt a cruel blow, as hopes of a bumper harvest have sadly been washed away.

“The severe weather has also wreaked havoc on local infrastructure and some homes, and with more rain on the way, the damage bill is expected to rise.”

For information on personal hardship and distress assistance, contact Service NSW on 13 77 88.

To apply for a concessional loan or grant, contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593 or visit https://www.raa.nsw.gov.au/

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