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Mid North Coast bride stranded by floodwaters on her wedding day

A pregnant bride-to-be was saved at the last minute with the use of a chopper after flash floods on the NSW mid north coast left her cut off from town just hours before she’s due to walk down the aisle.

Flood warnings issued as extreme weather impacts the NSW coast

A bride who feared she would miss her wedding in flood stricken Wingham, on the state’s mid north coast, has been saved at the last minute by a helicopter.

Kate Fotheringham’s parents’ home became an island surrounded by water early on Saturday morning, and Ms Fotheringham took to social media with a plea for help.

Just before 2pm on Saturday, her plea was answered with a chopper, and the bride was flown to Wingham to meet her husband-to-be.

Bride-to-be Kate Fotheringham is stranded at her parents’ house in Wingham. Picture: Supplied
Bride-to-be Kate Fotheringham is stranded at her parents’ house in Wingham. Picture: Supplied

Ms Fotheringham, who is also expecting a child, said the usually narrow Dingo Creek turned into a dam, while the SES has warned Wingham locals to evacuate near floodwaters.

“I’m pregnant so my partner doesn’t want me to get in a boat. It’s ridiculously stressful,” she said.

“On Friday, when we were setting up I thought ‘I’m wearing gumboots to my wedding and that’s okay’, but it’s not funny anymore.”

The Wingham township has been completely cut off by flooding. Picture: Supplied
The Wingham township has been completely cut off by flooding. Picture: Supplied

The prospect of missing the wedding was devastating to her but also to her father who in October narrowly escaped death when two trees fell on him.

He was left with multiple broken bones and a punctured lung, but the upcoming nuptials of his daughter kept him in fighting spirits.

“My dad had a horrific accident … he had to learn how to walk again and today he is going to walk me down the aisle,” Ms Fotheringham said.

“It’s been such a rollercoaster of emotions because Dad almost died in October and now we can’t even get to the aisle.

“I’ve had a few tears this morning just because … you don’t plan to get through one of the biggest floods in 30 years to get to your wedding.”

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/a-mid-north-coast-bride-has-been-stranded-by-flood-waters-on-her-wedding-day/news-story/622b8753dd408ee5e9a97fea7785d6f8