Lismore and Ballina flood crisis: Evacuation ordered for Ballina Hospital
One northern NSW town has been warned a “life-threatening event” is about to hit, while evacuation orders have spanned to another area. It comes as at least one evacuation centre has had to relocate amid rising floodwaters. Latest updates.
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Ballina residents have been warned “a life-threatening event” is about to hit their town as floodwaters continue to rise, while nearby Lennox Head has also now been ordered to evacuate.
Around 8.45pm residents in low-lying parts of Lennox Head were ordered to evacuate by the NSW SES.
Affected areas include the eastern side of Byron Bay Rd, properties on Lakeside Way, Sailfish Ave, Snapper Drive, Anchorage Ave, the western end of Outrigger Rd, the western end of Caloola Rd, Pintail Ln, and Hurtley Dr south of Gradwell Dr.
Ballina Shire Council has ordered residents to try and go to a safe place with family and friends or make other accommodation arrangements, and arrive at an evacuation centre as a last resort.
It is unclear whether the Lennox Head Cultural Centre evacuation centre has any remaining capacity or can be expected to avoid flood risk.
However, the Ballina evacuation centre at Cherry Street Sports Club is now being evacuated as it faces a serious flood risk of its own.
Another evacuation centre is available at St Xaviers at Skennars Head.
“This is a very serious situation and should be monitored closely as the water levels continue to rise,” the council said on Facebook.
“This is a life-threatening situation that is about to hit Ballina.”
The Northern Rivers SES has urged residents in Ballina and surrounding towns to take shelter in the highest place in their area – because it is too late to leave.
“Rising floodwater is beginning to make it unsafe to evacuate the area,” the SES said.
“You should immediately move to the highest safe place now, such as a higher ground or inside a sturdy multi-storey building to upper levels as high as possible.
“Do not leave your location unless it is safe to do so – you may now be trapped without power, water and other essential services and it may be too dangerous for the NSW SES to rescue you.”
Northern NSW Local Health District has also confirmed it is evacuating Ballina Hospital due to rising flood waters.
The evacuation is taking place on the advice of the local Police Commander and out of an abundance of caution to protect the health and safety of patients and staff.
“The hospital has 55 general medical and rehabilitation patients, who are being temporarily relocated to Xavier Catholic College through NSW Ambulance and transport organised by the NSW State Emergency Service,” a spokeswoman said.
“Extra NNSWLHD staff have been called in and are working alongside NSW Police, NSW Ambulance and the SES to ensure the safe transfer of all patients, whose families have been notified.”
A makeshift emergency department is being set up at Xavier Catholic College for anyone in the community in need of emergency care while the hospital is temporarily closed.
An SMS is being sent to the local community to alert them of the evacuation and the temporary hospital closure. Further updates will be provided as soon as possible.
Please call triple zero (000) if you have a life-threatening emergency or if you need urgent medical attention but cannot get to a hospital due to the floodwaters.
If you need flood or storm emergency assistance, please call the SES on 132 500.
More to come.
EARLIER
A fresh evacuation order has been issued for the Ballina CBD, with residents in low-lying areas urged to seek higher ground or go to an evacuation centre.
Parts of Ballina are forecast to experience flooding worse than the 2017, 1974 and 1954 weather events.
It comes after a woman was found dead inside a flooded property in Lismore. It is the first NSW fatality in the latest east coast deluge.
NSW Police have issued a statement confirming the body of a woman in her 80s was found inside a home on Ewing St at 10.20am after a member of the public attended the premises concerned for her welfare.
The woman is yet to be formally identified and police from Richmond Police District will prepare a report for the coroner.
A man is still yet to be found after police saw him swept into a CBD drain on Sunday.
Ballina Shire Council said on Facebook they expected a peak around 9pm which was half a metre higher than water levels on Tuesday morning.
This will mean that all of Ballina Island will now experience some inundation and it is expected that this level will stay up for a longer period of time as it is not as dependent on the tides,” the council stated.
The Cherry Street Sports Club made an urgent appeal to Ballina residents about the incoming floodwaters and reinforced that they remain open as an evacuation centre.
“We have been informed that residents should make their way NOW to an evacuation centre before it’s too late,” they posted on Facebook.
“Cherry Street is open and operational as an emergency centre please make your way to the club before it’s too late.”
An evacuation centre at the Lennox Head Cultural Centre on the corner of Mackney and Park Lns also remains open and available for residents affected by flooding.
David Rankin from the NSW SES has told the ABC the weather bureau has warned of “a flood of record like we have seen in Lismore yesterday”.
“Conservative estimates have it at 2.5m in Ballina which is a significant amount of water in that community,” he said.
“Council have also reported a 2.5m figure is something we should suggest in and across Ballina now.
“We want people to take this flooding...extraordinarily seriously.”
While the SES evacuation order has focused on low-lying areas of the Ballina CBD, Ballina Shire Council has warned the entire Ballina Island could experience “some inundation”.
“We are expecting a peak around 9pm tonight which will be 2.5 AHD which is approximately half a metre higher than the water level this morning,” the council said.
“This will mean that all of Ballina Island will now experience some inundation and it is expected that this level will stay up for a longer period of time as it is not as dependent on the tides.”
Mr Rankin said people in areas likely to be impacted should prepare immediately.
“If you have the opportunity to move stock to higher ground, do that immediately,” he said.
“I can’t stress this enough: we have seen so many last minute emergency evacuations that have taken up to 24 hours to facilitate just upriver and that water that has affected those communities is making its way down the river to Ballina right now.
“From my understanding, this is the first time evacuation orders like this for Ballina have been issued.
“If you’re in Ballina, the best decision you can make in a very long time - if you believe you can be affected by floodwater - is to evacuate.”
TERRIFYING SCENES IN ROOF RESCUE
On Tuesday afternoon terrifying scenes unfolded in flood-ravaged Woodburn where a rescue by a Navy helicopter of a person on a rooftop had to be abandoned.
During a live cross on national television, a rescuer could be seen working carefully to secure one of at least two people waiting on a rooftop of a house surrounded by an island of water.
The rescuer was seen taking some time to carefully secure the person as the downdraft from the helicopter creates cyclonic like wind.
A palm tree in front of the house can be seen blowing back and forth.
As the Army chopper prepares to winch the person off the roof, the winch line became entangled in what appeared to be a television antenna as the rescuer motioned for the chopper to be moved away.
Efforts to free the line were unsuccessful so the person had to be lowered back onto the roof.
A short time later the person was able to be lifted off the roof, followed by another.
With rain now easing in the area, Army and rescue helicopters are going from rooftop to rooftop to save people who have been stuck since Monday.
An unknown number of residents have been trapped on or inside their roofs for hours – many overnight – as floodwaters inundate their homes.
Residents in Lismore are being strongly urged to limit their water usage as the difficult conditions impact the council’s ability to maintain water reservoirs, while on Monday afternoon Nimbin was being warned they only had 24 hours of water left.
Essential Energy is also reporting widespread power outages affecting thousands from Grafton to the Tweed, with no certainty as to when faults, fallen wires and other issues would be mitigated.
Huge numbers of rescues, insurance claims
There have been at least 6000 calls for help during the flooding in Northern NSW, according to Premier Dominic Perrottet.
In a press conference on Tuesday morning, Mr Perrottet said there had been 1000 flood rescues in the region.
There are 26 flood evacuation orders in place and at least 15,000 insurance claims have already been lodged in connection with the disaster.
Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke said waters were expected to remain at a major flood level in Lismore until at least Wednesday.
“As those floodwaters come down, the emergency will continue,” Ms Cooke said.
“The priority remains on saving lives and keeping people safe.”
Ms Cooke said while she hoped Northern NSW would not see deaths from the flood emergency, it was likely lives will have been lost.
“We must all prepare ourselves for the possibility that lives have been lost,” she said.
She said it was “unrealistic that a disaster of this magnitude will mean that there are no lives lost”.
Cars, horses trapped on Woodburn Bridge
About 11am images and videos coming from the region, with images of horses and more than a dozen cars stranded on Woodburn Bridge, about 34km south of flood-devastated Lismore.
With severe flooding besieging Lismore, water levels had almost entirely covered the home’s roof – meaning the rescue occurred in the nick of time.
Helicopter footage showed major flooding has cut off both sides of the bridge as residents attempted to evacuate the area.
The flood waters have reached the rooftops of the surrounding homes.
Parts of Woodburn have been inundated with flooding in the last 24 hours with river levels along the Richmond River at Woodburn rising above the February 1954 peak of 5.42 metres.
The Richmond River at Woodburn was at 6.65 metres and is still rising according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s latest data at 9.15am.
Desperate situation
It comes as residents across NSW’s north coast are in desperate situations with floodwaters leaving them trapped in their own homes and, in many cases, in and on top of their roofs.
Despite the best efforts of emergency services, many residents remained cut off overnight, with particular concerns about the entire Lismore area and the town of Bungawalbin 50 minutes southwest of Ballina where more than 1000 people are believed to remain stranded.
Evacuation orders have now been issued by the NSW SES for Ballina and the surrounding area, with detailed advice for residents to move on before it is too late.
Authorities believe hundreds of people across Lismore are still awaiting rescue on Tuesday while thousands more remain trapped by deadly floodwaters.
Early Tuesday in Lismore, the rain had stopped but the reality of unprecedented flooding had only just started to kick in as residents returned to their inundated homes.
But despite their loss, they were grateful to safe and dry and showed more concern for those not yet to safety.
Hunter St resident Elwyn Paddison, 80, had spent Monday night in his car parked on Uralba St.
He said he had lived in Lismore for most of his life and had been at the corner of Hunter and McKenzie Streets for the past 25 years.
His exit was far more hasty than he had predicted after keeping an eye on rising flood water on Sunday night.
“I thought, ‘oh yeah, it will be right’,” Mr Paddison said.
“Then it came up to the first step and I thought ‘oh hello, it’s getting a bit serious now’.”
He only had time to pack a few things before water was through his house.
“I just waded out up here with water up to my chest.”
Water stock fears for Tweed village
There are fears the village of Uki could run out of town water as Tweed Shire Council introduces level 4 water restrictions.
Manager Water and Wastewater Operations Brie Jowett said the council had been tankering water into Uki however flooding and no road access is preventing deliveries.
“A local staff member reached the Uki reservoir this morning and it only has one metre of water left in it,” Ms Jowett said.
“We have concerns the village will run out of water.”
She urged everyone in Uki to only use town water for essential purposes and to boil water before drinking it or using it in food.
Until further notice, Tweed residents can only use water outdoors to address safety or health issues – not to clean up mud and other flood debris.
Ms Jowett said the extreme weather had washed soil and debris into creeks and rivers that flow into water treatment plants and caused power outages at the plants and several water pump stations.
‘Too late to leave’ for some residents
Other regions in northern NSW including Ballina and the Clarence Valley are also facing major flooding.
There are dozens of Ballina Shire residents evacuating in Cherry Street Sports Club on Tuesday morning.
People in low-lying areas including West and North Ballina and communities to the south, toward Wardell, were urged to evacuate by 7am, before high tide.
A further evacuation order was later issued specifically for low-lying areas of South Ballina.
NSW SES is directing people within South Ballina to move to higher ground away from floodwaters; it is too late to leave the area.
Rising floodwater is beginning to make it unsafe to evacuate the area. Burns Point Ferry is closed and Wardell Bridge is inundated. You should immediately move to the highest safe place now, such as higher ground or inside a sturdy multistorey building to upper levels as high above water levels as possible. Do not leave your location unless it is safe to do so.
There has been a mixed reaction to the evacuation order closer to the CBD.
Some residents near Ballina Fair have stayed put while others have left, for higher ground or one of the two evacuation centres set up at Cherry Street Sports Club and the council-owned Richmond Room behind Ballina Library.
Phil Tonge has lived in the Fox St area for more than 20 years.
He said he hadn’t seen flooding so high in his street before.
“We were quite concerned, we got a phone message at 2.20am to get ready to evacuate,” Mr Tonge said.
“So we were concerned it was going to be much worse.”
Mr Tongue said while he received the early-morning flood evacuation warning, he never got the more pressing evacuation order that went to other residents just before 6am.
As high tide approached on Tuesday morning, Mr Tonge and his wife Kathy were feeling confident about staying home.
“We got a bit of water running through the garage, but it’s not a real worry,” he said.
Nearby resident Garry Scott moved to Fox St about 22 years ago.
At the time he was in a home closer to the western end of the street, which was under water on Tuesday morning.
“We had rain for six months,” he said.
He said the flooding was more severe back then.
As some brief sunshine emerged on Tuesday morning, Mr Scott said he was planning to stay home.
Many have walked in shell-shocked, bringing in pets and the few bags they packed.
One young mother holding onto her infant son said she had just escaped Lismore flooding on Sunday to wake up on Tuesday morning to the second horror call.
Bursting into tears, she said her house had been destroyed.
In the Clarence region, roads are crumbling under the pressure of flood waters as some towns become isolated.
On Tuesday morning, at the West Ballina to Glenugie section of the Pacific Highway, the road was closed in both directions between River St and Big River Way.
There was water on the road at various locations including Carrs Drive, Shores Drive and at the Yamba Rd/Angourie Rd round-a-bout leading into Yamba cutting off access to the popular holiday town on Tuesday.
The Summerland Way from Casino to Grafton was still closed on Tuesday morning and landslides along the Gwydir Highway between Bald Knob Rd and Tindal Rd also causing havoc. At Clarenza The Big River Way between Centenary Drive and Summerland Way was also still closed.
Community spirit shines through:
There have been plenty of silver lining moments which showed the bravery and strength of the Northern Rivers.
One such example was in Grafton, where residents were forced to think on their feet as the Clarence River threatened their properties.
Manually collecting over four truckloads of sand, the residents came together to sandbag each house on the McHugh St.
Earthmoving contractor Hugh Moorhead said his truck provided all the sand to and from Boral Sand.
“One of our neighbours knew a bloke that worked there, managed to organise for four or five truck loads,” Mr Moorhead said.
McHugh St is located on the lowest section of the levy wall, separating the river from the houses.
“Even neighbours that weren’t affected were helping out, it was really good to see,” he said.
Residents across the neighbourhood went and shovelled sand in the pouring rain into Moorhead’s truck.
Moorhead said the levy wall had cracks in it, allowing water into his backyard.
“I haven’t slept yet. I’ve been up all night pumping water out,” he said.
Earlier:
About 1300 people have registered with the NSW government as being impacted by the floods already but there are expected to many more impacted in the swamped city of 43,000.
The number of rescues across the Northern Rivers is now estimated at about 1000 and rising.
Overnight there have been desperate calls from family members to have their loved ones saved, while MPs have requested more floodboats in the water, more choppers in the air, more people to take emergency calls and more food for evacuation centres.
Please stay out of the Ballina CBD. We are receiving reports of motorists driving through the Ballina CBD, with flooding starting to impact the town. @NSWSES Evac Order in place for Sth Ballina, and lower lying parts of Ballina.
— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) February 28, 2022
If it's flooded, forget it!
NSW state Labor MP Janelle Saffin was among those caught up. She had to swim for her life when floodwaters engulfed her home.
She grabbed a tyre, wedged against a submerged tree and lunged for it, hanging on for life until someone from her office reached her in a canoe.
The State Emergency Service has been swamped with calls for help, many of which have gone unanswered.
The deadly speed of the raging waters has prevented even seasoned SES rescuers from getting to people.
SES spokesman David Rankin said the waters would need to fall at least four metres by Tuesday to make conditions somewhat manageable for emergency services.
Residents have been stunned by how quickly the floodwaters rose on Monday.
There was nothing that could have prepared them for the biggest flood event since 1954 after
700mm came down in less than 30 hours.
The State Emergency Service has issued numerous evacuation orders and alerts, the latest being for Ballina with areas affected including Ballina, Ballina South and Ballina West and areas south of Ballina towards Wardell. Earlier there was an alert for Casino.
Lismore mayor Steve Krieg warned residents they must not return home just to “have a look” if water levels fall on Tuesday.
He said the number one priority for today was “ensuring the safety and wellbeing of residents”.
Mr Kreig said on Monday he feared over 400 residents were still not accounted for as rescue efforts continue this morning.
“As rains ease and the water level falls, don’t attempt to return home or worse still ‘have a look’.
Under no circumstances should anyone enter floodwaters.
DESPERATE PLEAS FOR HELP
Many locals The Northern Star and Ballina Shire Advocate spoke to who have lived in the region for 60 years, and are well versed in dealing with floods – were completely caught out by the sheer magnitude of the deluge.
The drama has captured the attention of the nation as terrifying scenes of people waiting to be rescued on rooftops were broadcast live and shared on social media.
Having trouble comprehending this pic #NSWFloods#qldfloodspic.twitter.com/NMdmBgBg1D
— PTSD Barnum (@SirLolsworthy) February 28, 2022
Katie Davis was among those who warned her marooned family were running out of time with her husband readying a float from the kids’ surf and bodyboards in desperation.
“We will tie the leg ropes together and use them if that’s what it comes to,” she said, before rescuers reached the family.
Many are still desperate for either them or their loved ones to be rescued.
Some of those desperate pleas have come directly to the Northern Star, whose staff have also had their homes hit by flooding, along with power losses and telecommunications issues as we have worked to bring updates on the crisis.
We have passed your pleas on to authorities, as rescue efforts continue to be escalated.
If you require SES assistance, phone 132 500. In a life-threatening emergency, call Triple 0.
BALLINA EVACUATION ADVICE
Evacuate low-lying areas of Ballina and surrounding areas to a safe location.
Floodwaters will progressively close roads so do not delay moving.
NSW SES expects that some properties in the following areas may become flood affected:
Low lying areas of Ballina
• North Ballina
• West Ballina
• Areas south of Ballina towards Wardell
“Once flood water begins inundating the area road access, water, sewerage, power, phones and internet may be lost,” the SES said.
“If you remain in the area you may be trapped and it may be too dangerous for SES and other emergency services to rescue you.”
Evacuation centres have been set up at:
• Wardell Sport & Recreation Club, Bath St, Wardell
• The Richmond Rooms, behind the library on River St, Ballina
• Cherry Street Sports Club, Cherry St, Ballina
If you are currently in self-isolation due to COVID-19, contact the Public Health Unit on 1300 066 055 before leaving, where possible.
GENERAL ADVICE FOR PEOPLE EVACUATING
• Lift possessions and important items above the predicted flood height
• Take pets, essential items, warm clothes, medicines, insurance documents and valuables with you.
• Leave as early as possible to avoid restricted roads.
• Share this information with family, friends and neighbours and help others where possible.
3 #NSWRFS trucks with approx 20 tonnes of tents, gum boots, bedding and emergency rations are on the way north from Sydney this morning. The equipment will be used to equip and house the emergency services personnel that will move in to assist with the massive clean up in Nth NSW pic.twitter.com/AszWCjQXLM
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) February 28, 2022
One family of eight in Bungawalbin was finally rescued late on Monday night – though tragically they were forced to leave their pets behind when a helicopter came to save them.
Images posted to social media show people cutting holes in their own roofs to escape, with no other way to access them due to the floodwaters surrounding their homes.
NewsLocal reporters for The Northern Star in Lismore have compiled astonishing images of the devastation across the coast – see the full gallery here.
The focus has now spread to Grafton and the Clarence Valley, with an ominous warning from the Bureau of Meteorology flagging major flooding similar to the March 2021 event.
A 5.12am update confirmed the Clarence River at Grafton peaked near 7.66m around 1am on Tuesday, just below the Grafton levee at 7.95m.
“The Clarence River at Ulmarra is currently peaking around 6m with major flooding, slightly above the Ulmarra village levee at 5.9m,” the BoM warning stated.
“The Clarence River at Maclean is likely to peak below the town levee of 3.3m with major flooding on Tuesday morning on the high tide.”
Just north of Grafton, the town of Yamba is completely cut off due to the Pacific Hwy between Lismore and Grafton being flooded.
Residents have posted images and videos of local roads completely underwater, telling tourists they expect it will be days before waters recede sufficiently to drive out of town.
The nearby town of Maclean is also heavily inundated, with images showing sporting fields and roads underwater and floodwaters rising close to the town’s road bridges.
Maclean Medical remains open until midday to provide urgent care.
Further to the north in the Tweed region, major flooding is occurring at Murwillumbah, Tumbulgum, and Chinderah.
The Tweed River at North Murwillumbah peaked at 6.51m around 3:00pm on Monday, with major flooding and was expected to fall below major flood levels around 6am on Tuesday.
The Tweed River at Tumbulgum peaked at 4.8m around 10:00pm on Monday, with major flooding, while the Tweed River at Chinderah peaked at 2.95m around 11:00pm.
However, there was relief for one woman trapped with her two young sons at South Lismore after a distress message to a friend overseas enabled the friend to connect her to Fire and Rescue NSW.
“The friend then randomly sought help via Sydney’s Narellan Fire Station Facebook page, writing a message: ‘Please small child in house TRAPPED GET HELP OUT THERE NOW PLEASE’,” FRNSW said in a statement.
“An off-duty FRNSW firefighter, returning home after a north coast holiday with her own family, received the Messenger alert on her phone as they were travelling.”
The firefighter was able to provide the trapped family’s details to triple-0, guiding first responders to the address where the trio was rescued.
FRNSW Act. Superintendent, Mathew Sigmund, said while there was a fortunate outcome to this emergency, it is crucial that the public realises that Fire and Rescue NSW Facebook pages are not routinely monitored and should not be relied upon as an alternative to triple-0.
A significant section of the Pacific Highway is closed in both directions between West Ballina and Glenugie due to flooding, with motorists advised to avoid the area and delay all non-essential travel.
The M1 Pacific Motorway is closed in both directions between Cudgera Creek and Tweed Heads.
Other major road closures remain in place including:
• Lismore CBD: Dawson St and Ballina Rd
• Lismore to Bangalow: Bangalow Rd is closed
• Tenterfield to Mallanganee: The Bruxner Hwy is closed
• The Bruxner Hwy is also closed between Casino and Tomki.
• Casino to Grafton: Summerland Way is closed
It is also closed at Fairy Hill and Kyogle.
• South Grafton to Clarenza: Big River Way is closed
It is also closed at Tyndale.
• Grafton to Glen Innes – The Gwydir Hwy is closed between Shannon Vale (east of Glen Innes) and Eatonsville (west of Grafton) due to landslides.
• Corindi Beach: Solitary Islands Way is closed
• Thora to Dorrigo Mountain: Waterfall Way is closed due to a landslide
Many other local roads are closed, and motorists are reminded to never drive through floodwaters.
Anyone already in a flood-affected area should follow the directions of emergency services and take extreme care as conditions are changing quickly.
In Byron Bay, anyone with donations for flood relief can drop them off at St Finbar's Catholic Church Byron Bay on the corner of Ruskin and Tennyson Sts between 8am and 12.pm.
Items required are blankets, non-perishable food and sleeping bags.
The supplies are set to be delivered to flood-affected residents in Mullumbimby in the afternoon.
More to come.
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