UPDATE: North Wagga and Gumly Gumly residents to evacuate by 8 am Friday

North Wagga and Gumly Gumly residents have been told to evacuate following updated advice from the Bureau of Meteorology this afternoon (2 November) warning that Wagga is now in line for major flooding.

SES incident controller Ben Pickup said they have responded to the upgraded forecast for the Murrumbidgee River and around 700 people will be evacuated.

the original timeframe of Thursday morning was extended after consultation with the Bureau to allow residents inside the levee at North Wagga and at Gumly Gumly until 8am Friday to leave.

“We’re also going to issue the evacuation order emergency warning for North Wagga township inside the levee and the Gumly Gumly area,” he said.

“We also have a number of Prepare to Isolate messages out for the Flowerdale and Moorong East areas.”

Gundagai is already in the grip of major flooding as the Murrumbidgee River continues to rise toward a possible peak of 9.70 metres this evening, which is higher than the April 1989 flood but far lower than the 2010 and 2012 peaks.

By 4:30 pm on Wednesday, the river at Wagga Wagga had matched last month’s highest level of 9.22 metres with waters expected to near the major flood level mark of 9.60 metres before the weekend.

“At this height, we lose access to the North Wagga community with the temporary levee that’s been put in place along that road,” Mr Pickup explained.

“Once that pipe closes, it may not be possible to go in and rescue people, so we’re encouraging the public and the community there to please evacuate.”

While they are expecting the road to be cut, the SES does not expect the water to exceed the levee at North Wagga.

“The current prediction of 9.60 would not see the North Wagga levy overtop, but we’re continuing to issue the evacuation order to ensure the safety of people,” Said Mr Pickup.

For those without alternative accommodation, the temporary evacuation centre at Wagga Showgrounds has been reopened and several families impacted by existing flooding in low lying areas had registered by Wednesday afternoon.

Mr Pickup warned that it could be unto five days before we see the water begin to recede given how wet the region already is.

“The river has already been at the minor flood level for a number of weeks now and has barely dropped since the last impacts,” he said.

“So just while we might see it usually drop off quite quick, given the amount of flood water and that high river level all the way down through to Hay and Balranald, it will take time for the peak to move through.”

He urged residents in areas under evacuation orders to heed the warnings.

“Once we lose access to a community, it may be too late for us to be able to come and rescue you and it does put yourself, your family and those rescuers at risk.

“I know it is difficult to go through an evacuation and it creates a lot of anxiety and worry for people, but the whole Wagga emergency services community and council will be there to support them through the process.”

You can stay up to date with the latest on alerts on the Hazard Watch page here, the Murrumbidgee SES Facebook page here and you can keep an eye on the river heights here.

For emergency help in floods and storms, call the NSW SES on 132 500.

In life-threatening situations, call triple zero (000) immediately.