Eugowra resident who confronted NSW premier speaks out

Frustrations have reached boiling point in a New South Wales town still counting the cost of flooding, after a wall of water destroyed almost everything.

A former police officer who confronted NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet over a lacklustre flood response in Eugowra has now spoken to A Current Affair reporter Nat Wallace about what he believes needs to happen next.

"The next town that it happens (to), they (the state government) should be prepared to go straight in and do what's got to be done," Eugowra local Peter Jones told A Current Affair.

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Jones confronted Perrottet earlier today while his team were in town, after 80 per cent of homes and businesses were damaged.

"We had no food, no clothing, no one telling them what was going to happen next because no one was here," Jones told the premier.

"What's your answer to some of them before I keep going?

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"That's not good enough."

Despite his best efforts, he still thinks the government didn't get "the message".

"I think they were dumbfounded with what I had to say and they couldn't give me an answer on anything," he said.

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Jones said everyone in Eugowra was "shattered" after the town was ravaged by floodwaters

Even more devastating was the lack of response from emergency services.

"They didn't sort of believe what was happening," he said, of his calls to triple zero.

Jones claimed police also "shrugged him off" which, being a former officer himself, made him feel "ashamed".

The local said it took a full day for the community to finally get some help but it was already too late.

"We had the SES, they had 40 boats here. But the trouble is, by that time we had no water and all they did was stand around," he said.

"And then on the Wednesday another 20 boats turned up and they just stood around again.

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"No one was helping the people in Eugowra."

Jones said he told the premier he expected authorities to be better prepared given other recent flooding across the state.

"They've had enough time with Lismore" and the Hawkesbury, Jones said, struggling to understand why the government was still saying "we're working on it" and "oh we're learning".

"They're slow learners," he said.

Jones revealed he had a meeting with the premier and was expecting a commitment to do more.

"There should be one emergency number for things like this," Jones said.

He also suggested implementing an operational command post so people know what is happening.

"People were injured, there were old people that were sick, they needed medical treatment and we couldn't ring to ask for help," Jones said, complaining phone reception went down at a critical time.

"We had to go and borrow somebody else's phone so that we could get through.

"It was a total disaster from go to woe."

On a positive note, locals and "out of towners" alike had come together to help, leaving the spirit of the bush town "stronger than ever".

Jones claimed the premier's promise of funding for those who needed it was just "empty words" for now.

"They (locals) need money now, not on Monday," he said.