Serious flooding was experienced in the Macdonald, Peel and Namoi River Valleys from 28th to 30th November 2008. The State Emergency Service (SES) is the combat agency for floods in NSW. To assist in undertaking this role the SES maintains a comprehensive flood intelligence system for key flood warning gauges in NSW and develops flood emergency plans for local government areas that have flood risks. The primary product of the SES flood intelligence system is the flood intelligence card. These cards detail the relationship between flood gauge heights and flood consequences. They are used by the SES to interpret the meaning of quantitative flood predictions and to decide appropriate flood response actions.

SES flood emergency plans detail the arrangements for the emergency management of flooding in local government areas with flood threats. Typically plans will contain detailed arrangements for the evacuation of potentially affected communities. Essential to the arrangements are the triggers for evacuation, which are based upon the isolation and/or flooding of properties and the closure of evacuation routes. The SES commissioned Bewsher Consulting to review flood intelligence for areas within the Tamworth Regional and Gunnedah local government areas based upon existing and new information from the November 2008 flooding. In addition, the causes and nature of the event are discussed in some detail. Intense local rainfall contributed to severe local overland flooding in Gunnedah, Curlewis and Tamworth, separate to the riverine flooding.