Cootamundra is counting the cost of flash flooding across the district on Wednesday.
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Homes on Muttama Creek were inundated, road surfaces washed away across the district and the Thompson Street footbridge badly damaged.
Homes in Poole Street and Cutler Avenue had water inside with State Emergency Service (SES) Controller Des Rowe saying the water rose too quickly and the call for help came too late to sandbag.
Some residents of these homes were evacuated by flood boat courtesy of the SES swift water technician when roads were cut off.
Across town, all causeways were closed as Muttama Creek rose to 2.10 metres at its peak at 7.45pm.
It had been more than two metres since midday and did not recede from this level until 9.15pm, according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s river height data taken at Berthong Road.
Mr Rowe said, together with the Rural Fire Service, the SES was able to sandbag low-lying homes in Wallendbeen protecting them.
As the water came back down, Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council was able to get on with the job of assessing damage.
Acting Director of Engineering Services Mark Ellis said the main areas of damage are creek crossings where water has run across the road.
By Thursday morning crews were already on Rosehill Road and Gundagai Road repairing damaged causeways so these could be re-opened to traffic.
Mr Ellis said as well as these, roads around Stockinbingal also fared badly as the rain kept coming.
“The flow of water across roads has caused damage to the bitumen in many areas,” Mr Ellis said.
He said a full assessment of the Thompson Street footbridge will not be able to be undertaken until the water goes down further, however it is hoped the main damage is with the handrails, which buckled under the weight of fast-flowing water and debris.
Should the situation with the footbridge be worse, he said council will make an application for disaster relief funding.
All causeways in Cootamundra remained closed as of midday Thursday.