Saturday, February 23 marks the 64th anniversary of the 1955 floods, triggered by 250mm of rain over 24 hours.

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Gunnedah and District Historical Society's Bob Leister said it was the "biggest single flood in Gunnedah's history".

Thousands of head of sheep, cattle and pigs were lost in the flood waters, and many men were employed in burning the dead animals in the aftermath of the flood, according to local history book The Way We Were.

"It was rising very quickly, [the] water," Mr Leister said.

"It rose very quick Friday night, and it kept rising until Saturday morning [at about] 11am. Houses were really devastated."

Mr Leister said he was just 16 at the time of the flood and a first-year apprentice.

"It totally covered Wolseley Park and got into the backyard of the Gunnedah Hotel," he said.

"As soon as the water went down, I was out repairing [vehicles]."

At the time, it was described as the greatest natural disaster in the history of the Namoi Valley, and no floods since have approached the levels of February 1955.

It was Gunnedah man Geoff Hood who alerted the NVI to the anniversary of the "one-in-100-year flood", saying he believed the current drought would be "broken by a flood".

"Even though it's a rip-roaring drought, tomorrow will be the anniversary of the 1955 flood," Mr Hood said.

"While everyone's complaining about the dry, they don't know what might be around the corner.

"It's been 18-20 years since Gunnedah has had a decent flood."

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