Insane rescue footage of family pulled from floodwater as cars, homes submerged on Mid-North Coast

Shocking footage shows a nerve-wrecking rescue attempt to save a young family and their pets from record flooding in northern NSW.

A young family has been saved from rising floodwaters in NSW in a mission impossible-esque rescue caught on film.

Sam Halloran, from Glenthorne, shared footage of the nerve-racking rescue showing a Polair officer dangling out of a helicopter.

The officer, suspended by a thin rope, can be seen swinging wildly from extreme winds as he attempts to save the family.

A terrifying helicopter rescue mission was taken by police to rescue a young family in NSW. Picture: Facebook

He successfully reaches a rooftop adjacent to the balcony Mr Halloran and his family are sheltering on, and begins the rescue attempt.

“I’m going to stay, try and get the dogs in a boat. if we can get a boat here,” Mr Halloran said to the officer.

Mr Halloran then asked if that is the best way to get the dogs out, to which the officer replies that it is the only way.

“Okay, I’ll stay,” Mr Halloran said in reply.

The officer asks if he is sure.

“I’ll stay,” Mr Halloran confirmed.

Wild NSW flood rescue caught on camera

The officer then hooks a woman onto the airlift system, and she is pulled into the air – and out of view.

“Update guys we are now all out and safe including our two doggos. Can’t thank everyone enough for your kind words and efforts to help us,” Mr Halloran wrote on Facebook.

“Huge thanks to NSW police rescue and the SES for getting us out safely. Now we wait to go home eventually and assess our losses and start over. Big love x”

Mr Halloran first shared terrifying footage of floodwaters lapping at the second floor of his home as he awaited rescue from the balcony with his wife and two-year-old son.

He shared a video on Facebook on Wednesday morning showing cars and neighbouring homes submerged by floodwaters in the NSW Mid-North Coast town of Glenthorne, just south of Taree, where the Manning River is exceeding levels never seen before.

A Glenthorne man has shared distressing footage of cars submerged by floodwaters. Picture: Facebook

Homes are also in the firing line. Picture: Facebook

“Is there anyone with a boat that can launch at South Taree somewhere and come and get my wife and little boy in Glenthorne before our top floor goes under? Been waiting on SES for 6.6 hours,” he wrote in a Facebook post early on Wednesday morning.

His wife Jordan earlier spoke to the ABC about their desperate situation.

“I think it’s about probably 600 (mm) off coming into the top level of our house,” she said.

“But the main concern is our two-year-old son, who is here with us and two dogs.

“Even more of a priority is our neighbour’s house, which is about to be inundated with water.

“We’re awaiting a rescue. We’ve been waiting since about 1am.

“They said the only way to get us out at the moment is with a chopper and there aren’t any.”

But about 9.30am, Mr Halloran posted an image to Facebook of a helicopter with the words “Thanks everyone!”

Speaking with the ABC, Ms Halloran said she “didn’t expect this amount of water”.

“In the 2021 floods, there may have been maybe a foot of water through the bottom storey of this house,” she said.

Sam Halloran posted an image of a helicopter with the words “Thanks everyone!” Picture: Facebook

They weren’t expecting this much water. Picture: Facebook

“Don't assume that things will be OK and as they were before.

“The weather’s very unpredictable.”

Earlier on Wednesday morning, SES shared that the Manning River had surpassed the 1929 record of 6m and was still rising.

“Residents in Taree, Wingham and Glenthorne may be isolated by floodwaters for several hours,” the alert said.

“In some locations people have been urged to move to higher ground, as rising floodwater and treacherous conditions are making rescues difficult to undertake.”

Over the past 24 hours, NSW SES have responded to 892 incidents, including 130 flood rescues.

Bains Bridge at Wauchope is closed to all traffic due to flooding. Picture: NSW SES

The majority of these rescues have occurred in the Taree, Wingham and Glenthorne areas.

NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Colin Malone said emergency service partners and the SES were “deploying every available asset” to rescue people as quickly as possible.

“Through the night, teams have undertaken a significant number of rescues at Taree, Port Macquarie and Ghini Ghini,” he said.

“This is a dynamic situation where a number of evacuation warnings were issued through Tuesday and overnight, with residents door knocked as well.

Mid-North Coast residents have been warned to prepare for ‘dangerous and life-threatening’ weather conditions and flash flooding.

“Unfortunately, we’ve also had a large number of calls for help in areas that were subject to evacuation warnings and we are still assessing how best to access those locations.

“We’ve advised those people needing assistance to move to higher ground, as we’re unable to currently access by boat, road or air due to the current weather conditions.”

Severe weather is expected to continue throughout Wednesday.

Originally published as Insane rescue footage of family pulled from floodwater as cars, homes submerged on Mid-North Coast