Advertisement

Rain bomb heads south – 34,000 evacuated and 350,000 preparing to flee

The unprecedented floods in northern NSW are worse than anticipated, with 34,000 people ordered to evacuate and another 350,000 warned to be ready to flee.

Mar 01, 2022, updated Mar 01, 2022
The government will hold an inquiry into the 2022 flood response (AAP Image/Jason O'Brien)

The government will hold an inquiry into the 2022 flood response (AAP Image/Jason O'Brien)

State Emergency Service Commissioner Carlene York said workers and volunteers were “flat out” amid distressing scenes as the waters leave a trail of destruction.

“We’ve been planning for this but yes, (the rain) was a lot heavier and it’s staying around longer than we had anticipated,” York told Sydney radio 2GB on Tuesday.

“Worse than we had anticipated but we’ve managed to put a lot of resources down there.”

People in South Ballina were told it was too late to leave on Tuesday morning as floodwaters hit the northern coastal town.

The SES performed 932 flood rescues across the Northern Rivers region – which encompasses Ballina – in the 24 hours to Tuesday morning.

People in other parts of Ballina have been ordered to evacuate as unprecedented flooding continues to devastate vast swathes of the state’s north coast.

There were five helicopters helping perform rescues in the Ballina region, along with 46 water rescue personnel and 500 volunteers.

The SES was getting “distressed” calls from people who couldn’t find loved ones, York said.

She urged people to register the missing with the Red Cross and said seeking shelter with family and friends would ease the pressure on stretched evacuation centres, which are housing 1000 flood victims.

Ballina Mayor Sharon Cadwallader said the town is doing better than some of its neighbours, with floodwaters moving slowly.

“This is a one-in-500 year flood we are experiencing. It is an unprecedented event and it is a most serious situation,” Cr Cadwallader told the Seven Network.

The crisis has engulfed the northeastern part of the state, with multiple major flood warnings including the Tweed, Richmond, Wilsons, Brunswick, Bellinger and Clarence rivers.

The Bureau of Meteorology warned NSW is in for more thunderstorms, heavy rain and damaging winds as extreme weather moves south along the coast.

A low pressure system is heading towards Sydney on Tuesday night with heavy rain that could cause flash flooding and potentially hazardous conditions.

Thousands of people have been made homeless on the north coast with many spending the night in evacuation centres.

Lismore remains submerged after the Wilsons River peaked at 14.4 metres at 3pm on Monday before starting to fall.

InQueensland in your inbox. The best local news every workday at lunch time.
By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement andPrivacy Policy & Cookie Statement. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Hundreds of people are still unaccounted for and at least one man is feared dead after he went missing in floodwaters.

Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke said 350,000 people in the northern rivers and north coast areas are on high alert under evacuation orders or warnings.

“Please prepare to leave at very short notice,” she told 2GB.

Emergency services were overwhelmed with calls for help on Monday with hundreds of people stranded for hours on rooftops as state and federal emergency services struggled to get to them.

Rescuers in a flotilla of dinghies and inflatables plucked stranded Lismore residents from rooftops and balconies of submerged homes.

Disaster assistance is now available in 17 local government areas.

The LGAs are Armidale, Ballina, Bellingen, Byron, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Glen Innes Severn, Hornsby, Kempsey, Kyogle, Lismore, Nambucca, Port Macquarie/Hastings, Richmond, Tenterfield, The Hills and Tweed.

As emergency crews were overwhelmed, people pitched in to help each other.

About 45 recently arrived Fijian abattoir workers helped rescue about 60 residents from a Lismore nursing home that was inundated.

Apenisa Marau said the scene at the home was “just devastating … the entire building was underwater”.

“It was quite terrifying trying to get those elderly people out of their homes,” he told 2GB.

Local News Matters
Advertisement

We strive to deliver the best local independent coverage of the issues that matter to Queenslanders.

Copyright © 2024 InQueensland.
All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy