More than 220 people have been rescued from floodwaters in the past 24 hours in New South Wales, including more than 150 in just one city.
It comes as Wyangala Dam spilled record amounts of water, after 100mm of rain fell in parts of the central west in just a few hours.
Helicopters and boats were used to carry out more than 150 rescues in the flooded town of Eugowra, where people were forced to take to their roofs as the waters rose.
Rising brown waters reach the roofs of Eugowra properties. (Life Flight)
There are currently 120 flood warnings statewide, including 24 emergencies.
An evacuation order has been issued for Forbes, with low-lying residents told to be out of their homes by 7am today.
The first rescue took place at Ophir Reserve Camp near Orange after floodwaters quickly submerged the area, surprising campers.
Three people and a dog were rescued from the scene.
Hundreds of people have been rescued from floods in NSW in the past 24 hours. (9 News)
“The campers told the crew it wasn’t raining when they went to bed last night, but they woke up early this morning to water halfway up the caravans,” LifeFlight said in a statement
“The crew paid attention to keep them warm as they were suffering from hyperthermia-like symptoms.”
The group was then transferred to an ambulance at Orange Airport.
Three people and their dog are rescued from flood waters in central west NSW. (Life Flight)
The helicopter continued its rescue mission in Eugowra, where two residents were trapped by fast-flowing floodwaters.
“The LifeFlight paramedic, who is also a qualified rescue crew officer, was first transferred to a woman waiting at her home and brought her to safety before rescuing the neighbor from the back of the ‘a ute,’ said LifeFlight.
Residents in and around Eugowra remained under orders to move to higher ground and those in other small towns in the area, including Gooloogong and Canowindra, were told to evacuate.
Those living in and around Forbes spent the night counting down to an evacuation order at 7 a.m. Tuesday.
Further upstream, the helicopter found a woman whose house had been destroyed after floodwaters rushed out the windows due to the shear force of the torrents.
“She had made it to land dry because the crew was able to land the Land Rover LifeFlight special mission helicopter in a nearby paddock to pick her up,” LifeFlight said.
Although the flood waters look calm from above, a short distance away the water is splashing over the cities. (Life Flight)
The largest operation was in Eugowra where 12 people, 10 dogs, two cats and a pet turtle were taken to safety.
The LifeFlight rescues are among hundreds in the area.
Roo seeks refuge from the floods in the house of the shocked family