‘Dropped the ball’: NSW flood response slammed in budget estimates

NSW emergency chiefs have defended their response to the state’s devastating flood crisis in a fiery exchange with MPs.

NSW emergency officials have responded to blistering criticism over their handling of the flood crisis in the state’s north.

Opposition and crossbench MPs grilled the leaders of the State Emergency Service, fire services and the state’s disaster management agency Resilience NSW during a budget estimates hearing on Wednesday.

The hearing was told residents of Lismore and other northern communities felt frustrated and helpless in the face of a delayed and patchy flood response.

Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke and Resilience NSW commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons faced a grilling.

The area has been hit with two disastrous flood events within two months.

The officials were accused of “dropping the ball” on the flood response by not ensuring residents were given accurate information, timely warnings and prompt assistance.

Labor MP Penny Sharpe pointed to the decision to tell Lismore residents on March 29 that it was safe to return home.

The SES issued an “all clear” that afternoon only to reverse the decision hours later with a 3am evacuation order.

Labor MPs Walt Secord and Penny Sharpe wanted to know if emergency officials had ‘dropped the ball’.

“Will you concede that‘s an example of where the government dropped the ball?” Ms Sharpe asked Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke.

Ms Cooke replied she could understand the community‘s frustration, but everyone involved had done their best.

“All of our emergency services agencies have worked around the clock for months and months to keep our communities safe and protected at this time,” she said.

“Everyone is doing their absolute best. There is absolutely no doubt that our communities have been very deeply impacted.

“I understand that there is anger and frustration in communities. But … I'm not here to point fingers at our emergency services.”

Lismore was one of the communities on the North Coast hit hard by the floods. Picture: Supplied by the SES

The state's top disaster bureaucrat, Resilience NSW commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons, pushed back against a suggestion by Labor MP Walt Secord that the North Coast had been “let down”.

“I'm not aware of what balls have been dropped … what we need to identify is that what occurred in the northeast of NSW was not predicted by the forecast,” he said.

“It wasn't captured in the forecast. It caught all manner of people unawares, and it resulted in extraordinary widespread unprecedented damage and destruction.”

Mr Secord dug in, pointing out there had been several severe flood events in recent years that should have served as warnings of disasters to come.

“What happened? Why were you caught unawares?” Mr Secord asked.

“I don't know how I can explain that any clearer,” Mr Fitzsimmons responded.

The NSW Premier has previously apologised to flood victims who felt the government’s response was lacking.

“I’m incredibly sorry … I don’t want anyone in our state to ever feel that they are isolated and abandoned,” Dominic Perrottet said in a radio interview last month.

The government has launched an inquiry into the flood response that is accepting submissions.