Orange residents have strong connections to these communities through family members, sporting teams or work colleagues and so for us the impact on families, individuals and businesses is very real.

The response from Orange residents in the form of donations as well as those who are on the ground helping with rescue, and a range of support services, has been overwhelming.

I would particularly like to acknowledge the work of these Orange residents who in their various capacities have witnessed first-hand the shock and devastation suffered by the residents of Eugowra, Molong, Cudal and Canowindra as they work to support them in their communities.

Your kindness and selflessness at what will for many people be the most challenging experience of their life has made a real difference, particularly in the first few days as victims of the flood tried to process the trauma.

The feedback I have received from residents of our devastated communities through their tears and anguish has been that your efforts have made a difference.

There is no way of glossing over the next few weeks; they will be a really tough time for people in these communities.

Here in the bush we often hear words like resilience and courage in relation to residents of our communities and on neighbouring properties.

However, I am mindful that these communities will need not only financial support in the form of government grants, physical help in cleaning up, but a strong emphasis on emotional support in the weeks and months ahead.

In my own experience when I visited these communities for the first time since the floods, I could never have imagined the devastation and damage.

It looked like a tornado had ripped through Eugowra and it was hard to take in at first.

I have been a regular visitor to these communities in the last few years, and have forged many new friendships among residents and I am heartbroken for so many.

Compounding the devastation in the towns and villages is the unprecedented damage to our road network and I can assure you I will not take my eye of the ball to continue to push hard to get our appropriate and much needed funding to start the road repair process and get our rural economy in this area moving again.

I would ask Orange residents to encourage any family, friends or colleagues who feel they need additional support of any kind to contact my office so we can make representations on their behalf to hopefully ease their burden.

Thank you to all those individuals, businesses and organisations who have contacted my office with offers for help.

Can I recommend you pass on to anyone you know in the affected towns and villages to make their way if possible to their closest Recovery Centre where a full range of services are available to assist including Resilience NSW, Centrelink, Services NSW, Services Australia, Legal Aid, representatives of Insurance companies, and in some centres NSW Health representatives and NDIS.

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