More than 30,000 isolated, 400 properties destroyed in flood aftermath

Some 32,000 residents across 14 northern NSW towns remained isolated on Sunday as emergency workers from across Australia and New Zealand arrived in the disaster zone to assist with the colossal task of assessing flood damage to thousands of homes.

More than 400 properties have been destroyed or declared uninhabitable since record-breaking floodwaters began to recede in the past two days, and that number is expected to grow.

Residents in Taree begin the flood clean-up on Saturday. Credit: AAPIMAGE

The last four emergency warnings for northern NSW were downgraded on Sunday afternoon. More than 60 areas remain under Watch and Act orders, with some communities still urged to avoid flooded areas or prepare to isolate.

Five people have died in the disaster. NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Daniel Austin urged people to heed warnings still in place despite the desire to return home. “We don’t want any further hurt, and we certainly don’t want any further fatalities moving forward,” he said.

Emergency services were called to 328 incidents in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, 16 of which were flood rescues. There have been more than 7400 critical responses during the floods.

Flood-affected towns in northern NSW are expected to face strong winds next week. Credit: Kate Geraghty

Among them was a complex operation by a Fire & Rescue NSW Strike Team who paddled four kilometres to rescue two people stranded for three days on a farm outside Kempsey. They found a man in his sixties suffering hypothermia, who refused to leave without his six working dogs.

The rescuers fashioned dog leads out of firefighting cords, tore down a bamboo fence and lashed it to their inflatable rescue boat as an improvised raft so they could ferry the man, a 32-year-old woman and the dogs back to safety.

Drone footage of a Fire & Rescue strike team carrying out the night-time rescue of two people and six dogs with the help of a raft made from a bamboo fence.Credit: Fire & Rescue NSW

A nearby fire crew from Wauchope used a drone to navigate the rescuers back out through kilometres of dark, flooded bushland.

“Speaking over the radio, I told them, ‘The drone’s up, I’ve got you in my sights, just follow the light’,” said the strike team’s leader, Inspector Gaven Muller. “Before long, they had reached safety and we managed to get the pair to hospital.”

Almost 200 interstate emergency workers from across Australia and New Zealand have been deployed to replace exhausted volunteers.

“The volunteers are wearing out,” MidCoast Council Mayor Claire Pontin said on Sunday afternoon from Taree. “I’m sure those people are on their way and will be here working for the community, with the community, as soon as they can get here.”

Efforts have now turned to the resupply of food, medication and other essential items to towns still in isolation as the emergency focus moves away from flood rescues to supporting clean-up efforts.

Premier Chris Minns hasn’t promised a home buyback scheme similar to what was implemented by the Coalition government in 2021. Credit: Dean Sewell

Current projections found it unlikely that rainfall over coming days would produce renewed river rises in badly hit areas in northern NSW, but the weather bureau will closely monitor any effects on river catchments.

The bureau, however, has warned the strongest cold front of the year will bring big swell, cold temperatures and gusts of up to 90km/h across the state in the next two days.

The Blue Mountains, Illawarra and Northern Tablelands are expected to face the strongest winds, though northern NSW residents have also been asked to stay alert as they continue clean-up operations.

“The low-pressure system behind will push very vigorous winds up from the south, and we’ll see showers extending into eastern parts of NSW into Monday night,” bureau senior meteorologist Jonathan How said. “This does include for areas currently impacted by flooding.”

Warragamba Dam spills after reaching 100 per cent capacity.Credit:

Minor spilling was observed at Warragamba Dam, Sydney’s primary water supply reservoir, after it reached capacity on Saturday evening following days of heavy downpour. It is not expected to cause any significant impact to properties below the dam.

Premier Chris Minns would not commit to a buyback scheme for property owners in flood-prone areas such as the one announced by the Coalition government after the 2021 northern NSW floods, saying on Saturday that his response would be focused on long-term resilience for the region.

Minns said communities smashed by flooding were “in pain right now” as they came to terms with the tragedy of the past week.

“While the worst of the weather appears behind us, many towns are still cut off by the waters, with warnings still in place,” Minns said.

“These deaths are a shocking tragedy, but it’s important to know that this disaster could have been on a much larger scale. If it wasn’t for the bravery and professionalism of our emergency workers and volunteers, we may have been mourning hundreds of deaths this week.”

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