Riverina community in the state spotlight as emergency services battle significant flooding across the region

At a statewide flood update with premier Dominic Perrottet on Tuesday, Bureau of Meteorology manager of hazard and preparedness Steve Bernasconi said the town was currently the main point of concern along the Murrumbidgee River.

"We have major flooding that's higher than the September 1974 flood occurring at Hay," Mr Bernasconi said.

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According to the latest bureau data, the river at Hay Town had reached 9.10 metres by 10am on Tuesday.

"The river at Hay is... rising with major flooding and it may stay that way right through until Wednesday," Mr Bernasconi said.

The statewide emergency flood situation has significantly worsened in the past few days after storms dumped in excess of 100 millimetres on parts of the Riverina including Hay, amid widespread thunderstorms.

The town was hit by flash flooding as a result, and with drains through the levee blocked, it took some time for council and emergency services to pump the water off the streets.

Closer to Wagga, Forest Hill also copped a massive drenching over the weekend with one resident recording 68 millimetres in just 33 minutes, causing significant damage to one local street.

But despite the significant falls, communities along the Murrumbidgee River recovering from the worst flood in ten years that hit barely two weeks ago were spared something worse.

The SES said the widespread rainfall did not impact the catchments as much as initially expected, with the bureau downgrading warnings of a flood peak on the Murrumbidgee at Wagga from 9 metres to just 7.7 metres on Monday.

However as river levels at Wagga rose overnight Monday, the bureau revised forecasts with the river expected to peak at about 8 metres on Tuesday.

In light of this, prepare to isolate orders were issued on Tuesday morning for the areas of Flowerdale, Moorong and Edward Street West, however the SES do not expect the situation to significantly worsen around Wagga.

In contrast, further north of the Riverina, significant falls in recent days saw the communities of Eugowra, Molong and Canowindra in the State's Central West go under forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people from their homes.

Residents of Forbes were being asked to evacuate in the early hours of Tuesday morning as the significant Lachlan River peak moved further downstream.

SES state commissioner Carlene York said 100 additional defence force personnel were joining the flood relief effort across the state today.

She said they would be joined by a number of overseas personnel coming to assist the emergency response.

"We've also had 12 personnel from New Zealand fire and emergency services come and help us, which is fantastic to put them into the community to help us respond again," she said.

"We're looking at the longer term resourcing, to ensure we can meet community needs."

Although the rainy conditions have eased somewhat in the last 24 hours, Commissioner York warned the risk remains.

"Although it's sunny outside... the waters are still flowing into the catchments, still filling the dams and rivers and creating a severe risk to our community in those catchment areas," she said.

Commissioner York asked people to be aware of the SES warnings and the information being made available.

"If you need assistance from the NSW SES, please ring 132 500, and if it's life threatening, ring 000," she said.

Member for Cootamundra and minister for emergency services Steph Cooke said there are now 70 local government areas subject to a natural disaster declaration as a result of the ongoing flood crisis gripping the state.

"This event is now in its 63^rd day," Ms Cooke said.

Ms Cooke said the focus right now is on two fronts, the emergency response for many communities including Forbes and Eugowra, while other communities like Molong and Canowindra are in the early stages of recovery.

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