Three dead, one missing as thousands evacuated from flood zone

Three people have been killed and police hold “grave fears” for another reported missing as the northern NSW flood disaster intensified on Thursday, leading to mass evacuations in more than a dozen towns.

The NSW State Emergency Service warned an estimated 50,000 people to prepare for a period of isolation as their homes were cut off by rising waters, while meteorologists predicted severe weather would start to descend on the southern Hunter, Blue Mountains and the Southern Highlands regions on Friday.

Police on Thursday evening confirmed they had recovered the body of a 60-year-old woman, who had been reported trapped by floodwaters in her 4WD at Dorrigo on the Mid North Coast the day before. The woman had been earlier advised not to drive into floodwaters by a police officer, Assistant Commissioner David Waddell said.

“We’re just encouraging people, please, do not enter these floodwaters,” Waddell said.

“It’s a really dangerous, once-in-a-life-time event.”

Earlier that day, police had discovered another body on the Mid North Coast, believed to be that of a man whose car was reported stuck in floodwaters near Wauchope on Wednesday night.

The discoveries followed the death of 63-year-old David Knowles, whose body was found at a flooded home in Moto, north of Taree, about 3pm on Wednesday.

Knowles’ daughter said in a statement that her father had urged SES crews to rescue a family with young children nearby and died before they returned.

One of two men killed in floodwaters has been identified as 63-year-old David Knowles, who died on his property in Moto, north-east of Taree.

“He passed as a hero, sending help away to save others,” his daughter said. “We all couldn’t be prouder of you, Dad. We love you.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was “devastated” to hear of deaths in floodwaters, saying the thoughts of all Australians were with the victims’ families. Police have said they hold “grave fears” for a 49-year-old reported to have walked into floodwaters.

Severe rainfall of up to 300mm was expected in some areas, adding to the risk of flash floods, with about 9500 properties inundated.

“Unfortunately, the community will have to brace for more bad news,” NSW Premier Chris Minns said on Thursday afternoon. “This is going to be a difficult few days and we’re not out of the woods yet.”

The NSW SES had 149 flood warnings and 37 evacuation warnings in place on Thursday night but some residents said they were not alerted before the floods became dangerous.

James Larking and Kerri-Ann Gimbert said it took one day to lose their home of 14 years in Pampoolah, east of Taree.

As the floodwaters rose on their property, the couple swam, neck-deep, to get their animals to dry land. “We’ve lost everything, but we’re alive, we’re safe, that’s the main thing,” Larking, 54, said.

In past floods, the couple received warning alerts on their phones. This time, they received nothing. “It just seems like we’re forgotten out here,” Gimbert said

Taree, where the Manning River has risen to a level never recorded before, experienced one-third of its annual average rainfall in the past two days and remained extensively flooded.

A ute surrounded by floodwaters at Pampoolah.Credit: Kate Geraghty

Surinder Singh, a resident of nearby Wingham, was in Sydney when he found out his home had been destroyed by unprecedented flooding, after being deemed uninsurable two years ago.

“I’ve lost everything,” Singh said. “I do have some friends and neighbours who aren’t there [any more], but told me that the house was completely covered.”

In Kempsey, a levee protecting the town’s central business district from the Macleay River was breached early on Thursday. Evacuation orders were in place for the town’s central and eastern areas.

Kempsey Mayor Kinne Ring posted this image of flooding on social media yesterday.Credit: Facebook

“We haven’t had any loss of power or telecommunications, but people [are] running out of food and medicine, that is something we’re worried about,” said Kempsey Mayor Kinne Ring.

Evacuation warnings were issued to people in lower-lying parts of Port Macquarie, Nambucca Heads, Macksville, Bellingen and Wauchope.

In the Hunter region, people were being evacuated from parts of Dungog and Paterson. The NSW SES said its teams had made more than 600 flood rescues. The heaviest rainfall was expected in Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Woolgoolga, Sawtell and Dorrigo.

Simon Basile, 58, was taking his dogs for their daily walk on One Mile Beach near Forster when his friend spotted a dead cow in the surf about 300 metres from the shore.

“You could tell [it was dead], it was just bobbing in the ocean on the way in, the waves were pushing it in,” he said.

Basile took a photo of the cow’s tag to post on Facebook, hoping its owner would see the post. “A lot of the farmers don’t know what stock they have and what’s been lost,” he said.

Robyn Doust and her dog Gypsy being rescued by members of NSW Fire & Rescue and the SES in Purfleet, near Taree, on Wednesday.Credit: Kate Geraghty

Others replied that they had seen dead cows wash up on Tuncurry Beach and Back Beach.

Heavy rainfall is expected to ease off on the Mid North Coast on Friday, but severe weather will start sweeping across the southern Hunter, Blue Mountains and the Southern Highlands, the Bureau of Meteorology’s Steve Bernasconi said.

Bernasconi warned record-breaking river levels could peak again over coming days even as rain eases across flood affected areas.

About 2500 emergency services personnel, including 2200 SES workers, are operating in the flooded regions equipped with more than 500 trucks, boats and helicopters. “We are throwing every single thing we’ve got at this incident,” said Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib.

Access to disaster funding has been activated at the state and federal levels. Supermarkets in evacuated towns remained closed while others operated with limited supplies, with the premier thanking customers for not resorting to panic buying.

“It means that we don’t have helicopters having to fly in food as often as normal, and they can be focusing on flood repair efforts,” Minns said.

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