Bureau of Meteorology Defends Flood Warnings as inquest Hears of System Upgrade delays
SYDNEY - The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) is defending its flood warnings for Eugowra, Cowra, adn Forbes in New South Wales, as an inquest revealed the town was impacted by a flash flood minutes after a forecast was issued. Testimony highlighted ongoing challenges in upgrading flood warning infrastructure despite a “once in a generation” federal funding opportunity.
The inquest heard that up to six meteorologists were working on the bureau’s flood desk the night before the disaster, while simultaneously managing 43 warnings nationally and 14 specifically within NSW. A key focus of the inquiry centers on the delayed installation of a telemetric gauge on Mandagery Creek,which could improve future flood warnings. The gauge is part of a 10-year federal government program, but remains pending state and federal planning approvals.
BOM representative, Collopy, told Deputy State Coroner David O’Neil that the bureau oversees only a third of the 10,000 flood warning instruments across Australia, with Water NSW maintaining upstream gauges. He explained the federal funding program was crucial, stating, “Without that funding and efforts, it’s been very difficult for the bureau and othre agencies to upgrade and maintain this very large network.”
When questioned about the delay in installing the gauge,Collopy acknowledged the “tardiness” but emphasized the scale of the national network. Senior technician Andrew Cutler added, “If we had the budget, we would have started yesterday,” underscoring the resource constraints faced by the bureau in maintaining and improving equipment resilience against extreme weather events. The inquest continues as authorities seek to understand the factors contributing to the devastating floods and identify improvements to the warning system.
