Kempsey: A man has been rescued from the roof of his car in floodwaters

Authorities have retrieved a stranded man after he attempted to drive through a flooded street on the Mid-North Coast.

A motorist has been rescued from rising flood waters at Kempsey as police urge caution in what is quickly becoming very dangerous conditions to drive.

The 66-year-old man from South Kempsey had been attempting to cross through water along the submerged Queen Street when his car become stuck.

He quickly clambered to the roof of his vehicle and waited for emergency services to arrive.

Flood rescue at Queen Street, Kempsey. Pic Facebook

Flood rescue at Queen Street Kempsey. Pic: Facebook

The car, however, will not be salvaged.

“It is currently submerged under a metre of water along Queen Street,” Mr Burke said.

Police Inspector Martin Burke said the man is currently being assessed by NSW Ambulance.

“These weather events are unpredictable. Moving forward our biggest concern is the safety of motorists.

“We cannot afford to put all our efforts into rescues when we might need to put our efforts into evacuating people if needed.”

Police have been briefed this afternoon by NSW SES. They have advised that there is the likelihood that another system could approach off the coast of New Caledonia, once this current weather event passes.

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Mr Burke said that police remain optimistic that the situation around the Macleay Valley can be managed without the need for an emergency operations centre, as has been established further along the north coast.

“We don’t think it will come to that,” he said.

Meanwhile, motorists are advised street lights on the Martin Street bridge at Taree are currently not operational.

A 40km/h speed limit and occasional lane closures will be in place while work is carried out and may impact travel times.

Motorists are advised to drive to the conditions, and follow the directions of signs and traffic control.