Midday warning: Lismore on high alert as rivers rise

There are fears South Lismore levee could break later on Saturday as heavy rainfall brought by ex-tropical cyclone Alfred continues to fall.

Aerial views of North Lismore toward CBD. Picture: March 8

There are fears South Lismore levee could break later on Saturday as heavy rainfall, brought by ex-tropical cyclone Alfred, continues to fall.

Low-lying areas of the flood-prone town in northern NSW are already under water, with major flooding likely around midday Saturday, the latest Bureau of Meteorology update at 8.55am EDT said.

River levels could reach the height of the Lismore CBD levee on Saturday afternoon, with concerns about major flooding along Wilsons River.

The Australian Defence Force has been deployed to the region to provide support, with 120 ADF and 30 high-clearance vehicles in northern NSW.

Australian military deployed to aid Lismore. Picture: Nathan Smith/MATRIXNEWS

In its latest update, the BOM said: “The Wilsons River at Lismore (AHD) is currently at 9.04m and rising, above the moderate flood level (7.20m). The Wilsons River at Lismore (AHD) may exceed the major flood level (9.70m) around midday Saturday. The river level may reach around 10.60m Saturday afternoon with major flooding.”

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Mick Logan said rivers in the Wilsons River network were “still rising and there are peaks that are upstream that are yet to come through”.

“And that does mean ... that major flooding is likely from around about midday.”

Water pools at a carpark in Lismore.

SES Commissioner Michael Wassing confirmed water had not yet risen above the barriers of Lismore levees but rain continues.

“The levees have not overtopped. We’ve had drones in there, we’ve got crews working in the Lismore area, they will continue working in that area,” he said.

“The CBD levee and the levee to the south of Lismore has not overtopped, I can confirm that. But we are getting flooding in low-lying areas of Lismore, and certainly with Wilsons River, predications indicate there will be rises and there’s likely to be further flooding.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced in a press conference on Saturday morning that six generators were “on their way from the national stockpile to Lismore via road. So that will take time to get these generators there”.

Lismore was ravaged by floods in 2017 and 2022. The latest threat has seen residents spend days fearing the worst while sandbagging their homes and stocking up for the days ahead.

There is already flooding in low-lying areas of Lismore, with predictions there is likely to be more. Picture: Nathan Smith/MATRIXNEWS

“Some of these communities have copped it time and time again, and that just makes it so tough for people who have rebuilt, recovered, and then find another wave of trauma heading their way, along with the cyclone,” Mr Albanese said.

Lismore resident Harper Dalton told ABC News “thankfully so far it hasn’t been as bad as originally predicted”.

“Our community is still in the thick of recovery so we had the 2017 flood that was 11.5m so that overtopped the levy. The town was just finally starting to have life again. It felt like we’d finally recovered from the 2017 flood.

“Then we had the 2022 flood, and as everyone is aware it was the most devastating flood in Australian recorded history. And then a month after that we had an 11.5m flood that overtopped the levee. So we are certainly not recovered. There have been some difficulties in the recovery,” he said.

A flood watch is also current for parts of the NSW Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast, North West and Central West Catchment.