Severe weather warning issued as Lismore fears third flood of the year

The devastated city of Lismore is preparing for its third flood of the year as wet weather lashes the state, prompting dozens of flood rescues, including that of a four-year-old boy trapped in a vehicle.

Across the state, 26 rivers were the subject of flood warnings on Thursday afternoon, from the Wilsons River in the north-east through to the Darling River in the west. A severe weather warning was also in place for heavy rain and thunderstorms on the Mid North Coast and in the Northern Rivers.

A police officer rescued a four-year-old boy and two women from this car near Dungog.Credit: NSW Police

At Bingleburra, west of Dungog, a police officer had to enter rapidly moving water three times on Thursday morning to rescue a four-year-old boy and two women who had become trapped in their vehicle on a flooded causeway.

The officer had to pull the boy out of a window and carry him to dry land before returning to the water to rescue a woman outside the car, whose foot had become trapped under a rock. He then had to secure the four-wheel drive to his own vehicle to stabilise it, before rescuing the second woman from the vehicle.

Paramedics treated the women and boy for shock. NSW Police said they were considering recommending the officer for a bravery award.

On Thursday afternoon, State Emergency Services Commissioner Carlene York said the agency had carried out 49 rescues over the previous 24 hours, and had received more than 500 calls for assistance.

Forecast accumulated rain during the 48 hours ending at 10am AEST on Friday, September 23, according to the ECMWF-HRES model.Credit: Weatherzone

Bureau of Meteorology manager for hazard preparedness and response Jane Golding said the weather was creating dangerous driving conditions and trees would most likely come down, given the gusty winds and saturated ground.

“Some locations have seen almost a couple of hundred millimetres fall within the last 24 to 36 hours, and we are expecting more rain and thunderstorms,” she said.

“We’re expecting areas to see 24-hour totals a bit above 100 millimetres, but there will be some bulls-eyes in there, with some higher totals than that.”

Towns including Lismore, Grafton, Taree and Coffs Harbour have been put on alert to watch out for flash flooding over the next two days.

SES Commissioner Carlene York and Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke address the media on Thursday.Credit: Brook Mitchell

The bureau has issued a moderate flood warning for the Wilsons River at Lismore, on the back of expected heavy rainfall upstream that could see the river reach 7.2 metres on Friday or Saturday.

York said the SES had already set up a command centre on the outskirts of Lismore. More boats had been stationed in the area and helicopters were also on standby across the state.

“We are planning to the higher level of the forecast,” she said on Thursday afternoon. “Obviously, we have learnt lessons from the past in relation to the intensity and what the rain can do.”

The Wilsons River in Lismore hit a record height of 14.4 metres in February, submerging houses and leaving more than 1000 people homeless. It reached major flood level again one month later.

Resilient Lismore co-ordinator and local councillor Elly Bird said the latest weather warnings had made people anxious. “As soon as there is any talk about watches or warnings, people start to get a bit edgy,” she said.

“There are a lot of people in tenuous living situations – who would technically be homeless – living in caravans and tents on properties in the flood zone.

“If we were to face another evacuation like what we had to live through in February, I’d hope the government would prioritise emergency accommodation camps, which they were reluctant to do last time. All the emergency accommodation across the region is completely full. There is nowhere for people to go.”

She said it was frustrating that February’s flood victims were facing the possibility of another flood while still waiting to find out from the NSW government if they would be relocated.

Golding said the latest weather system threatening Lismore was very different to that which caused the record flooding in February, and the rivers were rising from a lower base this time around.

“What we are seeing [in the modelling] is enough rainfall to have us alert,” she said. “We’re fairly confident we will get to the minor [flood] level and possibly up to the major – it’s really going to be [up to] where those bulls-eyes occur.”

Earlier this month, the bureau declared a third La Nina event was under way in the Pacific Ocean, which increases the chances of above-average rainfall in eastern and northern Australia during spring and summer.

In the north-west of the state on Thursday, Wee Waa had been cut off by major flooding of the Namoi River, which also threatens to reach major levels in Gunnedah on Saturday, for the second time in a week. Moderate flooding of the Peel River was also occurring at Tamworth.

In the Central West, the Macquarie River hit major flood level at Warren and the Lachlan River was in major flood at Euabalong, west of Condobolin.

On the Queensland border, the Narran River was in a major flood at Angledool, north of Lightning Ridge.

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