Police find body of missing woman, search continues for two other missing people
FRIENDS of a man feared dead after he was swept away by Tasmania’s floodwaters remember him as an “old school gentleman”. Police have recovered the body of a woman from her home after floodwaters subsided. The search continues for two other missing people. VIDEO
Tasmania
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STILLWATER restaurant, in Bridge St, Launceston, will be closed until further notice after floodwaters inundated the building.
UPDATE 4.15pm: MAJOR flooding is still occurring on the South Esk, Macquarie and Meander rivers. Other rivers are at flooding at minor to moderate rates.
For all river level updates head to www.bom.gov.au/tas/warnings.
UPDATE 3.40pm: Primary Industries and Water Minister Jeremy Rockliff has announced the State Government is providing a $25,000 donation to the Rural Relief Fund in addition to the $110,000 provided in January to help farmers though the drought.
The Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association has welcomed the announcement.
A tree just went over the dam! #TasFloods pic.twitter.com/g7RppzXirO
— Simon McInerney (@simonmcinerney) June 7, 2016
South Esk river 24 hrs apart #TasFloods #Tasmania pic.twitter.com/ugTVr3vJhy
— Jasecarts (@jasecarts10) June 7, 2016
UPDATE 3pm: FRIENDS of a man feared dead after he was swept away by floodwaters in Ouse remember the 81-year-old as an “old school true gentleman”.
Trevor Foster was taken by fast rising waters as he tended to his flock of sheep on the banks of the Ouse River.
Emergency crews are continuing their search for the retired farmer but have been hampered by the horrendous conditions.
Paul and Lindy Piuselli said it was a sad day for the community.
“Everybody knew him, everybody loved him,” Mrs Piuselli said.
Her husband said Mr Foster was “old school”.
“He was just an old school kind of bloke. If you ever did a job for him he’d knock you down to pay you,” he said
“It’s a very sad time for the town.”
Authorities are urging people not to enter flood waters in an attempt to rescue stranded pets or livestock.
A bit of dune damage at Bicheno from monster #TasFloods swell @abcnewsTas pic.twitter.com/lbmZD1wisN
— Peta Carlyon (@peta_carlyon) June 7, 2016
Someone at Basslink & Hydro rain-danced a little too hard. Settle down now. #tasfloods (photo by Dan Taylor) pic.twitter.com/9M1YREaIFi
— Indi Johnston (@indihj) June 7, 2016
It seems Launceston is playing hide and seek with me. Can't even see Ben Lomond today #TasFloods pic.twitter.com/HHlDQy15IE
— Melissa Mobbs (@melissamobbs) June 7, 2016
UPDATE 2.30pm:THE Spirit of Tasmania has cancelled tonight’s sailings from Melbourne and Devonport after authorities advised that the Port of Devonport will remain closed until further notice.
A full refund will be offered to all affected passengers.
UPDATE 1.10pm: THE Bureau of Meteorology has forecast rain statewide until Saturday, with heavy rain easing to showers for most of the state by Thursday and Friday.
About 10mm of rain is forecast for the North West tomorrow, with between 5-10mm forecast statewide on Thursday. On Friday up to 15mm is forecast in the western half of the state.
Flood warnings remain in place for the Mersey, Meander, Forth, North Esk, South Esk, Macquarie, Derwent and Jordan rivers.
The severe weather warning for the North East, Midlands, East Coast, Upper Derwent Valley, East and South East remains cancelled but a statewide road weather alert remains in place.
UPDATE 12.35pm: THE SES and Launceston City Council are advising residents of Invermay and Inveresk to evacuate due to rising flood levels of the South Esk River.
Residents are urged to relocate to the evacuation centres at the Silverdome in Prospect or the University of Tasmania at Newnham.
“Due to rising waters in the South Esk River, there now exists a potential risk to residents and businesses in the Invermay and Inveresk areas,” a council spokesman said.
“Residents of Invermay and Inveresk are being asked to consider evacuating the suburb as a precautionary measure.
“The South Esk is expected to peak in Launceston at 10am tomorrow, but waters may pose a threat to the suburb from later tonight onwards.”
If you are unable to evacuate, please call 132 500 for assistance.
People in Longford should look at their individual flood evacuation plan. If you wish to evacuate as a precaution you can go to the Longford Town Hall, Wellington St.
This is not a lake, this is farm land #TasFloods @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/hsE8gJZlAm
— Julia Calixto (@julescalixto) June 7, 2016
UPDATE 12.20pm: CONTRACTORS have been unable to deliver the Mercury to the state’s North, North-West and West Coast this morning.
The West Coast vehicle was turned around at Ouse and returned to Hobart.
The Northern line haul vehicle was less than 5km from the Launceston depot when it was stopped by water covering the road.
The driver attempted to reverse the vehicle back along the road but the rear wheels of the truck became stuck on the shoulder of the road. Police then arrived and instructed the driver to abandon the vehicle.
Within about one hour, the water level had risen to window height. About 8am, the truck was swept away with the entire load of 1800 copies of the Mercury, 4400 Herald Sun and 1100 Australian newspapers on board.
Very close to where the line haul truck was stranded, an Examiner vehicle, travelling south, became engulfed in flood water. When the driver, who also had is wife with him, realised they couldn’t reverse out, it is believed they climbed onto the roof of the vehicle. It appears the quickly rising water level engulfed the van and it was washed away.
The driver’s wife was located several hours later almost 3.5km downstream and was winched to safety. Sadly the driver has not been located. The contractor who operates this vehicle is also a News Corp Australia contractor.
#TasFloods This is in Evendale. pic.twitter.com/bdtPbhOq01
— Sinafete (@sinafete) June 7, 2016
UPDATE 12.05pm: RACT Insurance has received approximately 250 claims over the past 24 hours as Tasmanians deal with the torrential rain that has swept across the state.
RACT Insurance CEO Trent Sayers said the highest volume of claims have been received from Wynyard, Devonport, Latrobe and Somerset.
“RACT Insurance has assigned additional resources to cope with the demand and support the areas affected,” said Mr Sayers.
Mr Sayers said he expected the number of claims to rise significantly as flood waters subside and the full extent of the damage becomes clear.
“It is still unclear exactly how many homes and properties have been damaged across the state, however current estimates put the damage at over $500,000,” he said.
“I expect that number to at least double by the end of the week.”
Mr Sayers continued to urge anyone who believes their property may be unsafe to contact RACT Insurance as soon as possible on 13 27 22.
“I also urge all Tasmanians to stay safe in these conditions. Do not attempt to drive through flooded areas and don’t take any unnecessary risks both on and off the road.”
UPDATE 11.55am: THE main street of Longford is bumper to bumper traffic as people seek to leave town before levee gates are closed.
Already the town’s main employer – Swift Meatworks – has closed for the day and employees evacuated.
Residents have been told that the Wellington St levee gates will be closed at noon. Two other sets of levee gates are already closed.
One resident who has water lapping in his lawn says he will not evacuate. Greg Green said “there is no risk” – his garden has pegs from previous high floods in 1969 and 2011.
UPDATE 11.45am: THE Insurance Council of Australia has expanded the footprint of the latest insurance catastrophe to include the East Coast of Victoria and Tasmania’s northern and eastern coastlines.
The declaration increases the insurance claims and losses attributable to the low pressure system that has brought severe storms and heavy rainfall since last Friday.
As of 9am, insurers had received 14,500 claims across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, with estimated insured losses of $56 million.
ICA acting CEO Karl Sullivan said those figures may still rise over coming days.
“While the storm front has moved past Queensland and NSW, heavy rains are still causing damage and flooding in more southern parts of Australia, especially in Tasmania,” Mr Sullivan said.
“The industry taskforce established under yesterday’s catastrophe declaration will now begin examining the situation in the newly added states to identify and address any issues or concerns.
“The ICA will look at sending staff to newly affected areas to work directly with affected policyholders.
“Policyholders with queries or concerns about the insurance process can also call the ICA’s 24 hour disaster hotline 1800 734 621.”
Cataract Gorge #TasFloods #Launceston pic.twitter.com/W30PTCBDYF
— Brian Carlton (@Spoonyman) June 7, 2016
Police continuing the search at Ouse for a missing 81 year old man swept away in the floods @SXNewsTas pic.twitter.com/opRfr3AApo
— Adam Reibel (@AdamReibel) June 7, 2016
UPDATE 11.23am: TASMANIA Police has advised that a recovery centre has been opened in the Latrobe Memorial Hall in James Street to support people affected by the floods.
UPDATE 11.18am: THE Swift Meatworks at Longford is being evacuated due to the approach of floodwaters along the South Esk River.
Several hundred employees are leaving the site in their vehicles.
Levee gates to the north and east of the town in the area are being closed in a bid to stem the rising waters.
Employees were told to finish up and evacuate the site ahead of the closure of the levee gates at noon.
The Lyell Highway at Ouse has just been opened after engineers inspected a bridge that had been closed and gave it the all clear.
UPDATE 11.10am: POLICE have recovered the body of 75-year-old Latrobe woman Mary Kathleen Allford from her home in Shale Rd after floodwaters subsided.
Her husband was airlifted from the roof of the property yeserday. The search for an 81-year-old Ouse man swept away from his backyard by floodwaters yesterday continues as water levels begin to abate.
And the search for an Evandle man caught in floodwaters while delivering newspapers with a female companion last night will continue. The man was delivering newspapers when the vehicle became engulfed by floodwaters. The woman was rescued earlier this morning by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.
UPDATE 11.05am: The SES has asked Invermay and Longford residents to be ready to implement their flood evacuation plans as a matter of priority.
Major flooding of the South Esk River is occurring and is due to peak tonight or tomorrow morning. A decision is expected to be made soon as to whether evacuation is required in these locations.
Residents should remain vigilant and monitor ABC local radio for regular updates.
UPDATE 10.55am: NEW Norfolk Caravan Park was just given just minutes to evacuate last night as flood waters quickly rose an inundated the facility.
Park manager Debbie Rose said it was “all a bit of an blur”.
“One minute we had a call to say it was OK, then we had a phone call to evacuate,” she said.
Across the road, New Norfolk bowling club members scrambled to move machinery from incoming flood waters.
The club’s bowling lawns were flooded for the first time in 15 years but president Noel Hyland said it was the worst he had seen there.
“I was here at 4pm and the road was dry. About 9, I got a call ‘you better get down here, she’s filling up’,” he said.
Locals close to the river are now bracing themselves for more flooding with the river expected to peak again in the coming hours.
UPDATE 10.25am: HEAVY rainfall has caused a large sinkhole to open up part of the footpath and nature strip on Mary St, North Hobart.
Council general manager Nick Heath said crews had cordoned off the area asked residents to remove their vehicles.
“It appears that the heavy rainfall event we have experienced may have opened up the sinkhole, which measures around two metres by two metres, and we estimate it is about four metres deep,” he said.
“We have sought urgent engineering advice prior to us working to restore the footpath area.”
UPDATE 10.15am: POLICE have closed Nicholls Rivulet Rd between Palmers Rd and the Channel Highway. The road is expected to be closed for three hours.
South Esk River MAJOR flood peak expected at Perth and Longford today. #BigWetTashttps://t.co/vpocaUOjCh pic.twitter.com/3Feba6mtPY
— BOM Tasmania (@BOM_Tas) June 6, 2016
UPDATE 10.10am: The SES has labelled Tasmania’s floods as the worst in at least 40 years, with record rain falls and record river heights in some locations.
Major flooding is occurring in the South Esk, Macquarie and Meander rivers, with widespread localised flooding across the state.
Eight flood gates on the eastern side of the Invermay/Inveresk levee system and three at Longford are closed and in excess of 100 roads are closed across the state because of to localised flooding and damaged bridges.
A number of people have been evacuated from their properties in Latrobe, Ouse, Newstead and the Meander Valley. Several people have been rescued from their vehicles when they have entered flood waters.
Dwellings inundated:
FIFTY properties at Newstead.
TWENTY dwellings and 15 businesses at Latrobe.
SEVEN dwellings at Wynyard.
FIVE dwellings in Ouse.
A NUMBER of properties inundated in outlying rural areas.
Around 550 volunteers are working to assist residents with flood affected properties. Over 350 requests for assistance have been made since Sunday.
SES state and regional operations centres are active in Hobart, the North West, North and South. The SES is continuing to urge people to avoid all non-essential travel.
UPDATE 10am: THE Insurance Council of Australia has declared Tasmania’s floods a catastrophe, Premier Will Hodgman said this morning.
The council has established a taskforce across the industry to co-ordinate the number of insurance claims.
Mr Hodgman said more than 200 properties — homes and businesses — were flooded, including 50 at Newstead, 35 businesses at Latrobe, seven at Wynyard and five at Ouse, and many others in outlying rural areas.
The Port of Devonport is closed to all commercial traffic, including the Spirits of Tasmania, due to the dangers posed by sunken vessels in the Mersey River.
Staff and volunteers of the State Emergency Service have responded to more than 350 requests for assistance since Sunday.
More than 100 properties inundated in Tasmania #BigWetTas #TasFloods pic.twitter.com/6tuaqqrLHz (@jenniferbech)
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) June 6, 2016
UPDATE 9.50am: PREMIER Will Hodgman has announced the State Government will make available emergency aid of up to $750 a family — $200 per adult and $100 per child.
The aid, which will be distributed through Service Tasmania, will assist with providing clothing, food, transport, shelter and personal items.
“We are also examining other support measures, and we have officers on the ground supporting farmers with stock management and doing rapid impact assessments where possible,” Mr Hodgman said.
UPDATE 9.45am:TASNETWORKS is still working to restore power to over 2100 homes, with 1600 of those on the Tasman Peninsula.
Go to www.tasnetworks.com.au/current-power-outages for updates.
UPDATE 9.40am: A road closure update has been issued by Tasmania Police. Please check www.police.tas.gov.au/community-alerts before driving today.
UPDATE 9.30am: HYDRO’S water storages are at 23.6 per cent after heavy rain and storms yesterday.
Storage levels at Great Lake have increased to 16.6 per cent and 11.9 per cent at Lake Gordon. Energy Minister Matthew Groom said storage levels would rise even further as a consequence of significant rainfall over the past 48 hours.
UPDATE 9.15am: PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull has postponed a scheduled visit to Launceston today after flooding and storm damage across the state.
UPDATE 9.10am: A SEVERE weather warning the North-East, Midlands, East Coast, Upper Derwent Valley and South-East forecast districts has been cancelled.
A very moist northeasterly airstream brought exceptionally heavy rain and damaging winds to much of the North and East of Tasmania yesterday.
The heavy rain generally eased, although thunderstorms are still possible about the East Coast. Damaging winds are no longer occurring over Tasmania.
Since 9am this morning, Buckland has recorded 88mm of rain, followed by 82mm at Nugent and 79mm at Copping.
Road weather alerts are active for the North-West Coast, Central North, North-East, Western, Central Plateau, Midlands, East Coast, Upper Derwent Valley and South-East.
Flooded roads will make driving conditions dangerous in parts of the North-West Coast, Central North, North-East, Western, Central Plateau, Midlands, East Coast, Upper Derwent Valley and South East forecast districts. Got to www.bom.gov.au/tas/warnings for updates.
UPDATE 9am: FLOOD warnings are still active for The Macquarie River, the Meander River, the South Esk River the Mersey River, the North Esk River, the River Derwent and the Forth River.
A flood watch is in place for all Tasmanian river basins, with an an initial minor flood warning active for the Jordan River.
UPDATE 8.55am: Primary Industries and Water Minister Jeremy Rockliff has labelled Tasmania’s flood situation a national disaster, particularly for the state’s farming communitites.
UPDATE 8.50am: HEAVY rain and floods in the state’s North-East have washed away the mains water supply pipe to the township of Derby.
The pipe was severed and the town’s water supply cut off. TasWater crews will carry out emergency repairs today.
In the interim, a water tanker will be available at Derby Park with an operator available to supply householders with emergency drinking water supplies.
UPDATE 8.35am: DOZENS of roads have been closed statewide, please check www.police.tas.gov.au/community-alerts before opting to drive today.
Tasmania Police said some road closure signs had been washed away in the rising flood waters. Motorists are advised to check the Tasmania Police website.
Motorists are advised to abide by all road signs and drive to the conditions. If you do not need to make a journey in the flood-effected areas please delay your journey.
New Norfolk Caravan Park and Bowls Club have both been inundated with water.
UPDATE 8.30am: A NUMBER of schools around the state have been closed.
Larmenier Catholic School, Bothwell District High School, Dunalley Primary School, Glenora District School, Hagley Farm School, Ouse District School, St Leonards Primary School, St Marys District School, Tasman District School, Westerway Primary School, Wilmot Primary School, Winnaleah District High School. For updates go to education-news.education.tas.gov.au/2016/06/school-closures.html
UPDATE 8.20am: POLICE are searching for three people in three separate locations who were caught in rising flood waters yesterday and earlier today.
A woman was rescued by the Westpac rescue helicopter near Evandale about 6.30am today after being caught in rising flood waters in a vehicle with her male companion.
Police are continuing their search for the man, both in the air and on land. Police are also continuing the search for a missing elderly woman at Latrobe and a missing elderly man at Ouse, who both disappeared in flood waters yesterday.
The Westpac helicopter officers helped rescue about 107 people from flood-affected areas yesterday.
Six men have been located safe and well near Schouten Island after taking shelter in their boat overnight. They have been transported to Coles Bay by police vessel. No injuries have been reported. More detail will be made available shortly.
UPDATE 8.07am: POLICE have found one of two people caught in rising flood waters on the road at Evandale. The search continues for the second person. The search is continuing for two missing people at Ouse and Latrobe.
Originally published as Police find body of missing woman, search continues for two other missing people
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