Over 100 residents in Wolgan Valley have become further isolated from the community after flooding has cut off the emergency egress.
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This almost a week after comes after a major landslip forced the closure of Wolgan Gap Road, which could be a long-term situation according to resident, Sarah Denmead.
"It's been pretty intense since Wednesday last week. When we lost the road, it was closed indefinitely. We found out when one of the residents phoned me to notify us that the road had been closed, which is an interesting way to find out to say the least," Ms Denmead said.
"There's no excuse for not being notified by council, who are very aware of our existence. Really, it's quite irresponsible, that they didn't notify us of the road closure."
Ms Denmead said the residents of the valley are extremely concerned by the situation, as they are unable to get to town to work or get children to school.
"There's 150 or so people down here at the moment. It's not a huge number. But that's 150 People that are feeling quite anxious about the immediate future," she said.
"That's 150 People who don't know whether they can keep their jobs, whether they can get in and out, whether their children can finish the school year. It's still a significant impact to the Lithgow community."
According to Ms Denmead, some residents who have family in town have chosen to move out of the valley, but the others do not have a choice.
Keeping the Valley supplied during the process has been challenging, but temporary solutions are in place.
Ms Denmead said there were two ways residents are accessing valuable supplies, the second of which involves a long day.
"We're able to connect to a liaison officer at Lithgow Council now who we can contact and let them know if we require fuel, bottled gas or food supplies," she said.
"But basically what residents are doing, they are getting on a 7am Convoy, if they can get out of the valley. Then they wait in Lithgow until 4:30 and can return with the supplies.They're back in the valley around 6pm."
According to Ms Denmead, after being isolated for the second time since the Black Summer Bushfires, the residents of Wolgan Valley feel forgotten.
"Our frustration is that since the bush fires, it was highlighted, we were we were here cut off during those fires, and it was highlighted the need for an a second route out of the Valley. But despite receiving funding to investigate and action that Lithgow City Council have been too slow to respond. We don't have a second access to the valley. We've had a couple of years to do something about it," She said.
"I just really want to let people know that we are here. We're normal people. We just want to do our jobs. Get the kids to school. And I feel like that we've been let down,but we also acknowledge Lithgow City Council has had a lot to deal with. But we're still here."
The Mercury has contacted Council for Comment.
Reidun Berntsen
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
