‘Lost my photos, lost everything … a life’s worth, all gone’

Longtime Ballina locals had never seen anything like it. As the waters rose, they watched memroies of a lifetime wash away.

Eric Harvey, 71, in his flooded home in Ballina in northern NSW. Picture: Liam Mendes / The Australian

As floodwaters continue to rise in Ballina on Wednesday, locals rush to the boat ramp with boats, ­tinnies and jetskis – desperately reversing their trailers into the water.

Stern warnings from a NSW maritime officer are ignored: they want to get out there as quickly as possible.

“I don’t care what that guy says, we’re going out there,” one young local says to his mate as they ­unload a small tinny into the water after being reprimanded for not wearing a lifejacket.

By the time we get on the water, several rescues have occurred.

Roads have turned to waterways. Signposts peek just above the water – locals know their way around, but this is different – it’s like floating several metres above ground.

Locals in search for those in need of rescuing zig-zag in and out of the river, through submerged streets and in between plantations.

Not even Australia’s smallest post office is immune.

Australia’s smallest post office in Empire Vale, northern NSW, is flooded. Picture: Liam Mendes / The Australian

Locals laugh as they ironically pass a signpost for “Flood Lane”. Just 60cm more of water and it would be fully submerged.

A house on Flood Lane is half-submerged.

Most people have left already: only a few have chosen to remain at home.

One of those who chose to stay home is Eric Harvey, who has lived in Ballina for the past 40 years.

He says he’s never seen anything like this.

“I just thought ‘Where am I going to go?’ If it gets up here, there’s a lot of people in a lot more trouble than me.”

He says he feels safe – if he does need to leave, he could jump on one of the many boats people have been using to get around the streets.

Flooding on Floods Lane in northern NSW. Picture: Liam Mendes / The Australian

He has lost everything: lounges, all his computers, kitchen, even the fridge is floating. “No power, no phone, no water,” he says.

“I woke up (Tuesday) morning and it was lapping the front door. It was over the road, right up here, but it wasn’t in the house.

“It was the saddest thing I’d ever seen. I was just watching it slowly rise, slowly rise, and I thought ‘Low tides gotta come, it’s gonna go away’.”

It didn’t.

The water is now almost up to the 71-year-old’s hips, but he ­invites us in. “Close the fly door as you enter – don’t want the snakes coming in,” he says.

He’s right. Throughout the day we have seen snakes and floating cows – one somehow miraculously managed to get on to a pontoon.

A cow manages to climb onto a pontoon in northern NSW. Picture: Liam Mendes / The Australian

Once the water goes down, Harvey says he’ll get a big skip bin and start from scratch.

As we wade through the murky water, he lets out a sigh of relief – his TV, placed face down on top of a floating mattress he purchased three weeks ago, is dry. It’s small consolation.

“Lost all my photos, lost everything. My whole life’s worth, all gone,” he says. “I didn’t realise water could do so much damage. Never been in a flood before.”

On his kitchen bench there’s a bottle of Jack Daniels with just a quarter left. “Last night, had to make meself go to sleep somehow,” he says with a chuckle.