In the wake of the floods which occurred within the Murrumbidgee Valley and Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) this year, the NSW State Emergency Service is continuing to call on residents of affected communities to provide feedback on how the flood response operations went, and how the impact of floods can be reduced in the future.

"While not unprecedented, these floods were unusual in their severity, rapid onset and widespread nature," said NSW SES Murrumbidgee Region Controller, James McTavish. "The NSW SES is keen to ensure that we all learn from the experience of the recent floods in the Murrumbidgee Valley and the MIA so that our communities are better prepared, more informed and better supported in the future. We recognize that there were many areas where there are opportunities for these activities to be conducted more effectively and efficiently. The NSW SES is committed to making sure we capture community opinions, advice and ideas, and that we find out what actually happened on the ground."

To enable this to occur the NSW SES, in concert with a range of agencies and local government, is conducting a range of activities over coming months including flood intelligence collection by consultant hydrologists, an online survey on SES operations (available through the NSW SES website www.ses.nsw.gov.au  or directly at www.surveymonkey.com/s/FFBJ7HC  ), meetings in local communities and the conduct of focus groups. The NSW SES also invites people to share their experiences and opinions by calling the Murrumbidgee Region Headquarters on 02 6932 9199, by email at aar.murrumbidgee@one.ses.nsw.gov.au, or by mail or in person at Murrumbidgee Region Headquarters at 206 Fernleigh Road, Wagga Wagga. Details for community meetings will be advised in due course.

Mr McTavish is keen for widespread participation, noting that "we can only improve the outcomes in future floods by sharing experiences, opinions and information in an open and honest way. I would encourage people to participate in what promises to be a robust process," he said.