Northern NSW floods: Burringbar village left to fend for itself

A community of thousands is fending for itself in the Tweed after its Rural Fire Service volunteers were deployed elsewhere and there was no State Emergency Service response.

Sitting on a hill at the top of Upper Burringbar, Adam Hunt and others from his community have set up radios, trucks and are ready to deploy for one simple reason – no one else will.

He said he had been surrounded by landslides, up to 100m wide going through entire valleys, with at least five properties around him directly impacted by flooding.

He said he would spend Sunday going door to door to every house and assess the damage.

A landslide crushes an Upper Burringbar house.

“The landslides look like they’re out of a war zone that’s just been bombed,” Mr Hunt said, speaking from one of the only spots in the area with reception.

“Contacting people is a real struggle.”

He said he had spent a day-and-a-half negotiating with people to leave their properties to eliminate risk of further landslides.

Down in the valley, he said Burringbar village had survived relatively in tact – with damage to a handful of houses.

A tree caused damage to a resident’s home.

Residents have been able to the access the internet outside co-working space The Office, which has provided free Wi-Fi to the town.

Houses further south in Mooball have been significantly impacted by flood water, especially on Hunter Street, Waranga Crescent and Tweed Valley Way.

Up to 60 properties were majorly damaged with town volunteers still checking on their neighbours.

At Crabbes Creek a temporary crossing has been put through the upper reserve.

Multiple houses there have also been impacted by flood water.

A makeshift bridge is put in across Burringbar Creek.

“In terms of support – we’ve had none,” Mr Hunt said.

“Which is OK, we’ve set up our own – we have people with a level of expertise from being in the army or the Rural Fire Service.”

A large supply of required equipment and food has been distributed from the town centre as far out as Doon Doon and South Murwillumbah.

The community has also set up its own welfare centre to connect people with Services NSW and offer social and psychological support.

Mr Hunt said residents in other nearby villages had come to Burringbar for help, with some people hiking 12km up the mountain range from Upper Main Arm.

Mr Hunt said the communty’s biggest priorities were getting telecommunications running properly again, getting Resilience NSW into Burringbar, as many residents have been left without cars, and getting cash donations for the people in need.

Residents are calling for Resilience NSW to come to them as many cars were lost in landslides.

“We’ve done everything we can,” Mr Hunt said.

“We’re confident we’ve managed to do the jobs we needed to.”

Mr Hunt said one member from the community’s Rural Fire Service stayed behind with a truck as the rest of the team went to help in Murwillumbah on Monday.

He said police had driven through twice in the past seven days, with the community directing them with jobs to do.

He said no one from State Emergency Service has been to the town either.

“The grand planning of disaster management needs an overhaul,” Mr Hunt said.

“For the one resource to leave, it’s unsuitable and unsatisfactory.”

State Emergency Service incident controller Ashley Sullivan said he sympathised with people in communities where volunteers were yet to be seen.

“We want to get out into every community,” Mr Sullivan said.

He said he wanted communities to get in contact with the service if volunteers hadn’t been there.

“Obviously this is a significant event across the Northern Rivers,” he said.

“Every agency, every emergency service and every level of government … is trying to get out to all of those communities.”

He said to call 132 500 for assistance or try to relay messages through anyone able to let the service know.

A Go Fund Me page has been set up to support residents in Burringbar.