Flood and Storm Information

• Never enter flood water
• Keep listening to your local radio station for information, updates and advice
• Keep in contact with your support person and follow your Home FloodSafe Plan
• Be prepared to evacuate if necessary
• If able, stack your possessions on benches and tables, lacing electrical items at the top
• Locate and prepare pets for possible evacuation

In life threatening situations call T 000.

Call NSW SES on T 132 500 if you:

• are trapped by floodwaters
• need assistance when floodwater is threatening your property
• require resupply of essential supplies if your property is isolated.

View Live Traffic for major road closures, or view Council's Disaster Dashboard for local road closures. 

Contact utility companies for essential services.

Floods can impact communities across the Singleton area. The NSW SES promotes using sandbags to protect homes and businesses as they can significantly reduce the amount of water entering homes.

Floods can affect rural property owners in a number of different ways including losses to livestock, crops, fencing, buildings, personal items, farm equipment and machinery.

The NSW SES has developed a Rural Properties FloodSafe Guide for information and advice on floods in rural and remote properties.

During a flood:

• Never drive, walk or walk through floodwater
• Remember the safety of your pets and any other animals. You are responsible for their well-being. The NSW Department of Primary Industries may be able to assist you.
• Keep listening to a local radio station for further information, updates and advice.
• Keep in contact with your neighbours.
• Be prepared to evacuate if advised.

If evacuation is required:

•  Take your emergency kit with you

• Turn off the electricity, any gas bottles and the water as you leave.

Where evacuation is necessary and you have livestock, you should notify the NSW Department of Primary Industries with details of:

• a contact person and contact number
• the location, type and number of animals
• your handling facilities
• availability of food
• potential problem animals.

Creating or discussing your emergency plan can help you remain safe during a flood.

A good emergency plan should:

• outline key heights that will mean your property and local roads will be effected by flooding
• identify key triggers for action
• identify what you need to do to protect your property from flooding
• key contacts
• identify routes to reach your safe place.

Stay up to date with official warnings and what they mean. NSW SES flood bulletins provide information on likely flood consequences and what actions are required to protect yourself and your property.

The Singleton Disaster Dashboard will identify what roads are affected in the Singleton area during a flood.

For further information on road closures and traffic updates see Live Traffic NSW.

For further weather updates and flood warnings see Bureau of Meteorology.

The NSW SES is the lead emergency management agency during a flood.

Council's role during a flood is to assist emergency management departments such as the SES, Rural Fire Service and the NSW Police.

The latest floods information can be found at nsw.gov.au.

Other important information:

• Local Land Services Flood Recovery
• NSW Department of Primary Industries
• Emergency Financial Support
• Service NSW storm and flood customer care service
• Service NSW business information hub
• Service NSW Disaster Assistance Finder
• Replacing lost identification, licences and personal documents
• NSW Health Mental Health Line for information and details of other mental health services

• Keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.
• Place refrigerated food together to keep food cool/colder longer.
• If food is warm for longer than 4 hours, throw the food out.
• Place meat, poultry or fish in the coldest section of your refrigerator, making sure it doesn’t drip onto fresh fruit and vegetables or other ready to eat foods.

• A closed refrigerator should keep your food cool for 4 - 6 hours.
• Kept closed, a full freezer should keep your food frozen for up to 48 hours, while a half full freezer should keep your food frozen for up to 24 hours.
• Food that is not within these limits should be discarded.
• The rate of thaw depends on:
  • The amount of food. A full freezer stays colder for longer than a partially full freezer.
  • Temperature of the food. The colder the food, the longer it will stay frozen.
  • Size and insulation of the freezer.

• If the power is restored within 4 to 6 hours and your refrigerator/freezer doors have remained closed, some of your food may still be suitable for use. Ideally check the temperature of foods using a thermometer; Cold food must be below 5˚C.
• Foods in the freezer can be re-frozen if they are 0 degrees Celsius or lower or if ice crystals are visible in the food, otherwise throw out
• Appearance or smell is not a reliable indicator of food safety. Some foods may look and smell fine, but if they have been warm too long, they may contain enough bacteria to make people ill. You should discard any food that has an obvious strange colour or odour. If in doubt, throw it out!