Flooding in Wagga Wagga

A mass evacuation is now underway in Wagga Wagga after new forecasts predicted the Murrumbidgee River would overflow the town's levee system. More than 5000 people have been ordered to evacuate flood-stricken areas across Australia's New South Wales, with evacuations continuing in the Riverina and central west regions of the state.

Nine more areas in the Riverina in south-west NSW have been declared disaster zones by State Emergency Services Minister Michael Gallacher, Xinhua news agency cited local media as saying on Monday. "We are also expecting to declare more local government areas by the end of the day," Gallacher said. "This year alone the government has declared more than 35 local government areas as natural disasters as heavy rainfall continues."

So far, 5000 people have been forced to evacuate from their homes across NSW and another 2000 from mostly rural properties remain isolated.

More than 1000 residents from the Riverina city of Wagga Wagga's north and east have been evacuated so far.