Police confirm three now dead after devastating flooding on the NSW Mid North Coast
At least three people have now died after raging floodwaters devastated the NSW Mid North Coast, which have put thousands of homes at risk.
A third person has died in devastating floods that have swamped NSW, as the first victim has been remembered as a “selfless hero”.
The SES has warned residents it is too late to leave as torrential rain cuts off evacuation routes in Port Macquarie as Sydney braces for a blast of torrential rainfall that has wreaked havoc across parts of the NSW Mid North Coast.
Moto farmer David Knowles has been identified as the first of three people to have died in the devastating floods.
The 63-year-old’s body was found “ankle-deep” in water on the veranda of his home on North Moto Road, northeast of Taree, about 3pm on Wednesday.
Authorities later said a man – believed to be in his 30s – died in floodwaters near Rosewood, about 4km west of Wauchope.
Police on Thursday evening confirmed the third body was that of a woman in her 60s, who had been travelling between Armidale and Coffs Harbour on Wednesday night when her car became trapped in floodwaters on Morora Road, Brooklana.
She was travelling in a convoy with a police officer about 7pm, with the officer unable to continue in his sedan when the pair reached ankle-deep flood waters.
Assistant Commissioner David Waddell told reporters the officer had cautioned the woman not to drive through floodwaters, and gave her his phone number in case of an emergency.
The woman continued to drive, before calling the officer 30 minutes later in trouble.
Police were unable to locate her or her vehicle. Her body was found in her 4WD on Thursday.
Assistant Commissioner David Waddell told reporters her family had been made aware of the woman’s death.
“Detectives will be speaking to the family further tonight, because of the circumstances we will assign a family liaison officer with that family … we’ll have detectives investigate the matter and put it forward to the coroner,” Assistant Commissioner Waddell said.
“We are hoping that over the next 24 hours things settle. Latest advice from the BOM is that some of the weather should ease and head south.
“But there’s still some tragedy around it and some families are suffering.”
She is yet to be formally identified.
A fourth person is still missing.
Mr Knowles’ daughters Stacey and Roxy have remembered him by as a “selfless hero”, after he directed SES evacuation crews – who had approached the much-loved local on Tuesday – to another family further upstream.
“Dad passed as a hero yesterday, sending help away to save others,” they said.
“He didn’t want to leave his farm on a good day.
“We all couldn’t be prouder of you, Dad. We love you.”
Stacey said he’d dealt with floods like this since he was 15.
“That’s why he didn’t think it would get this high,” she said.
“He would give you the jumper on your back if you were freezing. He was just like that.”
The second flood victim died after his vehicle became stuck in floodwater while driving.
Emergency services were called to the intersection of the Oxley Hwy and Huntingdon Rd about 8.50pm on Wednesday, following reports a man had become stuck in floodwater while driving.
They were unable to find the man at the time, but by 8am Thursday, his body was recovered near Rosewood.
Anthony Albanese has expressed his sorrow at the three deaths,
“Terrible news tonight to hear of another life lost in the floods,” he said in a statement.
“All Australians are thinking of those on the NSW Mid Coast experiencing very difficult and dangerous conditions.
“My thoughts are with the loved ones of those that have lost their lives in this terrible ongoing incident.”
The deadly turn in the freak weather event follows towns receiving months worth of rain within just a couple of days.
Emergency services have been working overtime to try to rescue people stranded by the flooding.
More than 600 people have been rescued, with more than 4600 calls for help across the region.
But conditions are expected to be dire, with heavy rainfall expected again overnight.
NSW Premier Chris Minns saying the state was “bracing for more bad news over the next 24 hours”.
Warragamba Dam may spill by Friday
Water NSW has warned Warragamba Dam, that services Sydney, could spill as early as Friday.
The Warragamba Dam catchment area covers 9000 sq/km and stretches across much of the Blue Mountains to Goulburn in the south, and to Lithgow in the north.
The dam’s storage level is currently at 96 per cent of capacity.
“The timing and peak rates of a possible spill will depend on the exact timing and location of the rainfall received,” Water NSW said in a statement.
“The Bureau (of Meteorology) is forecasting periods of intense rain overnight in the catchment, which could see the dam fill and begin spilling as early as Friday morning under the Bureau’s less likely scenario.
“Under the more likely forecast (50% chance) scenario, the dam would begin to spill later Friday or into Saturday morning.”
‘Too late to leave’: SES warning
The NSW SES now said it was too late for residents in Port Macquarie to evacuate as floodwaters rapidly rise.
“It is now too late to leave safely as evacuation routes are likely to be cut off,” an SES statement read.
“Seek shelter in a sturdy raised structure that can be safely accessed.
“You may now be trapped without power, water, and other essential services and it may be too dangerous for NSW SES to rescue you.”
The Bureau of Meteorology is now warning the band of rain was starting to shift south towards Sydney and eastern Victoria.
Meteorologist Angus Hines said the rain had started to intensify between Grafton and Coffs Harbour, spanning to Illawarra, and was expected to continue drenching areas near Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie as it made its way south.
Widespread totals of between 50mm to 100mm are forecast.
“(There’s) certainly going to be some further wet weather on the cards over the next couple of days,” he said.
“We certainly could still see another 80mm to 120mm in (the Mid North Coast) through the course of (Thursday) before that rain does ease.”
A severe weather warning has been issued for the southern parts of the Hunter Region, as well as across the Blue Mountains west of Sydney and parts of the Central Highlands.
The Bureau has warned more than 100mm of rain could fall in the next 24 hours, leading to potential flash flooding.
Major rivers in the Greater Sydney area – including the Colo, Hawkesbury, and Upper Nepean Rivers – have been issued with minor flood warnings.
Mr Hines said intense rainfall was expected for at least another day before the “worst of this event” was over.
9500 homes at risk, 50,000 preparing to flee
NSW Premier Chris Minns says 50,000 people have been told to prepare to evacuate and almost 10,000 homes are at risk as major flooding inundates the NSW Mid North Coast.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday morning, Mr Minns said communities in the region should brace for “more bad news” in the next 24 hours.
“We need people to use common sense, to listen to emergency broadcasts, and not put themselves in harm’s way,” he said.
“There is 140 flood warnings, 50,000 people are in the range where they have been asked to prepare to evacuate and could be isolated, and there’s been 9500 properties in the direct vicinity.
“So we’re far from out of the woods here.”
Mr Minns said Dorrigo in the Northern Tablelands had been hit hard, copping a month’s worth of rain within just 24 hours.
“You may be unlucky enough to be in a community where it hits particularly hard,” he said.
“The problem for us is two-fold – firstly, there’s been two days of incredible rain.
The second problem we have with the weather is that we’re expecting dangerous winds to hit, if not on the weekend, then early next week, which is the last thing the Mid North Coast needs.”
Thousands of SES crews are working to rescue people trapped in the floodwaters, with hundreds of rescues completed overnight.
Mr Minns said those who were currently in a “prepare to evacuate” area were being urged to consider leaving to alleviate the strain on the SES.
“I think the commissioner has been very articulate and direct in explaining that, notwithstanding the assets that were pre-deployed prior to the storm hitting, we don’t have 9500 helicopters that can be deployed immediately at the same time,” he told reporters.
“And we’re relying on people to leave if they’re given an evacuation order.
“For some people, that’s not going to be possible.
“They may be elderly, they might be infirm, they might have young children. But if we can get the majority of people out of harm’s way, it makes everybody’s job a lot easier.”
‘Grave fears’ for three missing in floods
There are also “grave fears” for three people reported missing in flood waters, NSW chief executive of the NSW Reconstruction Authority Mal Lanyon said.
“There was a 60-year-old lady up around the Dorrigo area who has been reported missing,” he said.
About 7.45pm on Wednesday, the woman was travelling between Armidale and Coffs in her 4WD when she became trapped in floodwaters on Monora Rd in Brooklana about 30kms west of Coffs Harbour.
The car was located at 10.40am Thursday but emergency services are still searching for the woman.
“Another male(aged in his 30s) around the Wauchope area, who’s believed to have driven into floodwaters, and that vehicle is reported missing,” Mr Lanyon said.
Police received a report a 49-year-old man had failed to return home about 9.40pm Wednesday after walking near a flooded roadway in Nymboida about 40km south of Grafton.
In the span of 24 hours, Polair has rescued 22 people from the rising water levels, including a woman and her two-year-old child, an elderly man and four others who were rescued from three homes in Coolongolook.
An elderly couple were dramatically winched to safety from the roof of their vehicle after driving through floodwaters and becoming stranded.
Four dogs and one cat have also been saved from the floodwaters and have been reunited with their owners.
Herds of dairy cows drown
Fifth generation dairy farmer James McRae has said whole herds of cattle have drowned in Barrington after the river burst its banks.
“They’ve lost absolutely everything,” he told the Guardian after two local dairy families lost their herds in the floods.
“A generation of farmers are potentially going to go out of the industry.”
Further north in the Lower Macleay, dairy farmer Sue McGill has described the flooding as an animal welfare crisis.
“[Our cows are] hungry, they’re miserable, they’re wet, they’ve been laying in mud for the last two months. So they’re suffering, we’re suffering,” she said on A Current Affair on Thursday night.
Sue, who has over 200 head of dairy cows, says she is struggling to feed them and will have to hand feed with bought-in food for months as they wait for grazing land to become viable again.
She is calling on the government to provide assistance in the form of a dairy specific grant to help farmers pay for fodder for their cows, and is warning that customers can expect to see short term milk supply issues.
“The milk that we’re producing is going to be tipped out, I’m sure of that,” she said.
“This catastrophe is so widespread that it must interrupt supply. Apart from the fact that the farmers are doing it tough, you’ve got the tanker drivers who’ve got to go and collect the milk, and with the roads cut, you know they can’t do that.”
Roads blocked as floods trigger landslide
Roads have been completely inundated with water due to the widespread floods, with Waterfall Way closed between Dorrigo Mountain and Thora after a landslide.
“Waterfall Way also remains closed between Bellingen and Raleigh due to flooding,” LiveTraffic NSW said.
The Pacific Highway is still closed between Purfleet and Coopernook, near Taree, and Solitary Islands Way is also shut at Corindi Beach, north of Woolgoolga
Giinagay Way is closed in both directions between North Macksville and Nambucca Heads, and the Oxley Highway is closed between Thrumster and Wauchope as well as at Rosewood, Long Flat, and Mount Seaview.
Failford Rd has been closed between the Pacific Hwy and The Lakes Way as flooding blankets the street.
ADF involved in emergency response
Emergency Minister Kirsty McBain said emergency personnel had been deployed across parts of the state, with disaster recovery funding arrangements made for 16 council areas.
She said on Thursday that Australian Defence Force personnel would be deployed for search and rescue capability at night time, with a helicopter coming from Nowra and focusing its efforts around Taree.
“Our focus right now is on that immediate response phase, and assisting people that need evacuation,” she said.
She said Anthony Albanese would likely not make a visit to the affected areas, as emergency crews hone in rescuing residents.
“At this stage, we won’t be going anywhere near those rescue zones, because it is very important that those emergency personnel are doing the job that’s in front of them and that is helping our communities out,” she said.
“So we’ll continue to work with NSW on any other requirements that they may have.”
While the conditions are set to ease slightly in Taree on Friday, the wet weather is anticipated to spread further north and south and extend into Sydney.
SES commissioner Michael Wassing said emergency crews were preparing for where the wild weather heads next.
“We have predeployed some capabilities and some management teams up into the northeast as well,” he said.
“The system could potentially – is already – reaching into the lower parts of the northeast already, as we see.
“And we’ve also got some preparation even around Sydney … and there is some active rainfall events there.
“Then we do have some focus into next week associated with the winds into the south and southeast parts of NSW as well.”
‘Significant impact’: Climate change causing more disasters
Ms McBain said it would be likely that residents experience further natural disasters as a result of climate change.
“I don’t think that there is a question out there that climate change is having a significant impact on weather events right across the world,” she said.
“In Australia here, we’re not immune to that. We’re seeing more devastating events like this happen more frequently.
“For some of the communities, it is not year after year but month after month,” she said.
“We’ve had a range of communities impacted by heavy rain and flooding during the (ex-Tropical) Cyclone Alfred impact that we saw across parts of NSW and Queensland.
“These communities are resilient and they’re innovative out of necessity a lot of the time … we will be there to support them now and into the future.”
Earlier on Thursday morning, Mr Minns acknowledged the emergency crews were better-equipped for dealing with such events as they become more common.
“Unfortunately, we’re getting better at deploying resources because of natural disasters and the reason for that is because we’re seeing more of them, not less,” he told the ABC.
Devastating floods turn deadly
A man has died in the catastrophic flooding event.
The 63-year-old’s body was found in a flood-impacted home on North Moto Road, Moto at about 3pm on Wednesday.
Mr Minns paid his condolences to the man’s family as the “tight-knit community” braces for even more rainfall.
“(It’s) a tight-knit community on the Mid North Coast and to lose anyone in these natural disasters is obviously horrifying,” he told ABC News Breakfast.
“I’m very sorry for that man’s passing.
“We’re very grateful we got enormous amount of expertise, emergency service personnel and thousands of volunteers who are on site, but when you have major natural disasters, obviously, you get terrible news as a result, and that community no doubt will be bracing in the next 24 hours.”
The Prime Minister also shared sympathies for the man’s family.
“This is devastating news that a man has died at a residence impacted by flooding on the NSW Mid North Coast,’ Mr Albanese said in a statement on Thursday morning.
“The thoughts of all Australians are with his loved ones and the community at this time.”
Police are investigating the man’s death and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
Thousands needing rescue within days
Hundreds of people have been rescued overnight from the rapidly rising – and now deadly – floodwaters, with NSW SES crews winching people to safety from rooftops and surging rivers.
More than 1000 calls were made to the SES in the past 24 hours, with 339 residents rescued from the floodwaters as they near 1-in-500-year levels.
In total, more than 500 people have been rescued from floodwaters, with the NSW SES responding to more than 4000 incidents during the wild weather event.
An estimated 50,000 people are preparing to be cut off as water levels continue to rise, with widespread rainfall expected to continue.
Mr Minns said 2500 emergency crews were on the ground across the Mid North Coast – including 2200 SES volunteers, 500 vehicles and boats, 13 helicopters and “hundreds of drones” – in what he described as a “major operation”.
He urged residents who were anxiously waiting for assistance or rescue for several hours to hold tight as the “massive emergency service contingent” made its way through.
“Now the job will be, as we move through the immediate response, we’ve got to get to recovery and make sure these communities can get back on their feet as soon as possible.”
Evacuation notices issued
Evacuation notices have been issued for residents in parts of Wauchope, Paterson, low-lying parts of Macksville, East Bellingen, parts of Gloucester, and low-lying farmland along Waterfall Way.
Residents between Newports Creek and North Boambee Rd should also prepare to evacuate as unsafe flash flooding washes through.
“Wherever possible, you should prepare to stay with family or friends or make other accommodation arrangements,” an SES Coffs Harbour statement read.
Towns record month’s worth of rain in days
The Bureau of Meteorology recorded 312mm of rainfall in Bellingen, 207mm in Moparrabah and widespread falls of up to 200mm across the north coast of NSW since 9am Wednesday, according to an update released at 6.30am on Thursday.
More torrential rain is likely on the way, with forecasts indicating a further 100mm to 150mm in the next 24 hours, though isolated totals of up to 300mm are expected in areas including Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Woolgoolga, Sawtell and Dorrigo.
“In Taree, we have seen a month’s worth of rain in a little over 48 hours,” Mr Minns said on Thursday morning, adding more wet weather was on the way.
“We’re … not out of the woods yet.
“But the community’s incredibly resilient. Vast majority of people have listened to emergency service personnel when they have asked them to evacuate or prepare to evacuate.”
There are 31 emergency warnings in place, including a severe weather warning between Bulahdelah to Snowy Cape, where heavy rainfall is anticipated to push inland to the Mid North Coast with locally intense falls anticipated in the inland regions.
The Bureau meteorologist Helen Reid said the area could see falls of up to 300mm in the span of 24 hours.
“This would be considered for dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding possible,” she said on Thursday.
“Further river rises are likely with more rain coming. The situation is dynamic.”
There are major flood warnings in place for the Nambucca River, Macleay River, Gloucester River, Manning River and Wollombi Brook.
An SES Nambucca Valley spokesman urged residents to not drive through floodwaters as a vehicle became trapped in the deluge at Scotts Head.
“It puts not only your life in danger but also the personnel who will have to come get you,” they said online.
“If it’s flooded, forget it. It’s not that hard to comprehend.”
NSW SES assistant commissioner Colin Malone said emergency crews were anticipating further rainfall and warned residents to stay out of floodwaters.
“We’ve seen continual rainfall and very fast-flowing rivers, which when combined with flooded roads, have made it very difficult to access some isolated people,” he said.
“Our crews have been working through the night to complete flood rescues, but our message to people still awaiting rescue is to remain in safe locations, away from floodwaters in dry locations if possible.
“While dozens of rescues have been completed overnight, they continue to be received, and the NSW SES and our partner agencies have helicopter resources, boats and high clearance vehicles responding when it is safe to do so.”
The SES will primarily focus on the Mid North Coast as rainfall intensifies, but wet weather is expected to travel further south to Sydney.
“The Risk of widespread moderate to heavy rain extends further south, reaching the Sydney metropolitan, Illawarra, and South Coast later today and into Friday as well,” Ms Reid said.
However, flooding is not expected to reach The Central Coast or Sydney, though flash flooding may occur with heavier falls.
Showers and windy conditions will likely redevelop through the inland parts of the state, encompassing the Central West, South West Slopes and Riverina region.
Across the east coast, damaging and destructive wind gusts reaching speeds of 80km/h are expected on Friday.
“By the end of the week, the focus of heavy rain will shift to the South Coast,” Ms Reid said.
“It’s a dynamic situation, so do stay across the latest forecasts and warnings.”
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