The NSW town of Wagga Wagga appears to have dodged a bullet in terms of really major flooding but the impact of the heavy rains will still be felt there and in many other areas for a long time to come.
Along with the devastating toll on individual homes and businesses, there is a growing awareness that the damage caused to infrastructure in outback areas of several states will be considerable.
A number of outback communities have been cut off due to flooded roads and towns such as Marree have had to have food supplies flown in. With many roads being turned into rivers there are calls for the SA Government to reinstate a road maintenance crew it scrapped 10 years ago.
“We’ve got roads that are actually below the level of the surrounding countryside,” said MP Dan van Holst Pellekaan. “When it rains like this these roads actually become creeks and tributaries.”
The SA Government says its current road gangs had responded quickly and four-wheel-drive access has been restored for some southern areas of the outback …. although many roads remain closed, including the Barrier Highway to and from Broken Hill in western New South Wales.
The SA Transport Department is bringing a temporary bridge from Queensland to
