For the first time in its history the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) has requested international assistance to help with the ongoing flood emergency.
SES Commissioner Carlene York said 24 personnel from New Zealand are to be deployed across inland NSW, with the first 12 (pictured) already arriving in the State’s central west, earlier this week.
“Our volunteers have been working tirelessly, taking time off from their own employment and time away from their own families to assist flood-affected communities across NSW,” Commissioner York said.
“Our interagency partners not only in NSW but also across the nation have been giving their time and expertise to NSW to support the flood emergency and I can’t thank them enough,” she said.
“We still have many months of flood response to go and other States across the country face the risk of cyclones as we head into summer.”
Commissioner York said this meant NSW SES had exhausted all national resources and now needed to call upon international support.
She said the SES was currently working with authorities in Singapore and the US to secure additional support.
“So far this year, the SES has responded to more than 72,000 requests for assistance and more than 3,400 flood rescues,” Commissioner York said.
Minister for Flood Recovery, Steph Cooke said the international support would ensure that NSW’s own volunteers and staff could have appropriate downtime and pace themselves for the flood operations, “which we expect will continue for several more months across regional, rural and remote communities”.
