Hundreds of thousands of people have been warned they may have to evacuate as “unprecedented” floods threaten the NSW north coast.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Tuesday 26 evacuation orders had been issued, affecting 40,000 people, and 300,000 more could be forced to flee if the situation deteriorates.
“This is an unprecedented event,” Mr Perrottet said.
He warned residents who have experienced floods in the past that the current event would be worse.
“You may have experienced events, (but) they’re not at the scale, and simply because a flood in the past has not affected you, that does not mean this flood (won’t) as well,” he said.
The commonwealth government had agreed to declare a natural disaster was unfolding in 17 council areas, which would trigger federal financial assistance, Mr Perrottet said.
The council areas covered by the disaster declaration are:
- Armidale
- Ballina
- Bellingen
- Byron
- Clarence Valley
- Coffs Harbour
- Glenn Innes Severn
- Hornsby
- Kempsey
- Kyogle
- Lismore
- Nambucca
- Port Macquarie/Hastings
- Richmond
- Tenterfield
- The Hills
- Tweed
Heavy rains and dangerous weather continued to hammer the north coast on Tuesday.
A McDonald’s restaurant, a service station and an entire shopping centre were among the buildings completely under water.
Up to 1000 desperate Lismore residents have spent an anxious night stranded on rooftops as floodwaters continued to rise overnight.
Ballina residents have been told by the NSW SES it is too late to leave and are being urged immediately seek higher ground as water rushes down from Lismore.
The SES is warning people in the area to move away from floodwaters as it is now unsafe to evacuate.
“You should immediately move to the highest safe place now, such as higher ground or inside a sturdy multistorey building to upper levels as high above water levels as possible,” the NSW SES wrote.
“Do not leave your location unless it is safe to do so.”
Many of the Lismore’s 43,000 residents were forced out of their homes after more than 700mm of rain fell in just 30 hours by Monday afternoon.
The city’s main street is completely under water and roads are cut off after the Wilsons River breached its levee early on Monday morning.
Michelle Taylor spent all night desperately asking for help online as the water around her home quickly rose and threatened her family of five.
“We need a chopper to get us if possible, please someone help us we are desperate,” she wrote.
Ms Taylor said her family suddenly woke to water filling the home and they had been left traumatised by the sudden evacuation.
The family had never experienced such a fast-moving flood and were forced to wait on the roof of their house late into Monday night until emergency services were able to rescue them.
Ballina was issued evacuation warnings at 2am before the direction changed to “evacuate now” by about 6am on Tuesday.
Residents were given 30 minutes to pack their things and leave.
Aerial images show just how much the extensive floodwaters have affected Ballina.
People can evacuate to the Wardell Sport and Recreation Club, The Richmond Room or the Cherry Street Sports Club.
Residents say they can no longer distinguish between what is the canal and what is a road.
Water levels aren’t as high as Lismore but are expected to rise as high tide comes in through the morning.
Police have told locals to stay away from the CBD.
“We are receiving reports of motorists driving through the Ballina CBD … if it’s flooded, forget it,” authorities said.
NSW SES Commissioner Carlene York is encouraging residents to evacuate when they are told to because water is flowing swiftly.
“It has been a significant thunderstorm that has moved through the Lismore area, through the Northern Rivers, and out coming down the coast, so we are in a very busy planning stage around the Central Coast, which is quite active at the moment, but training on the metropolitan area, and we anticipate heavy thunderstorms and rainfalls down the south coast as well,” Ms York told .
There are nine people missing across the state, with Ms York saying volunteers are continuously searching for them.
Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg said up to 1000 residents could still be trapped and awaiting rescue, with up to 400 calls for help yet to be answered.
“Four-hundred calls could translate to anywhere up to 1000 people still,” he said.
Mr Krieg said the number one priority was to ensure the safety and wellbeing of residents.
“Please continue to listen to emergency services personnel and follow instructions,” he wrote on Facebook.
“As rains ease and the water level falls, don’t attempt to return home or worse still ‘have a look’. Under no circumstances should anyone enter floodwaters.”
“As difficult as today will be, it’s important to remember you are not alone, talk with each other, look after each other and support each other.”
Mr Krieg told Today he hopes the river will drop below the levee bank height on Tuesday afternoon.
“Everyone who is dry is lending their support to their fellow citizens which is amazing to see,” he said.
“The private gym has opened up and the Catholic Church has opened up. Everyone is chipping in and lending a hand.”
More towns along the mid-north coast have been told to evacuate as the deluge moves further south, including Casino, Maclean, East Bellingen, Lawrence, Broadwater and Cabbage Tree Island.
The weather system is predicted to move even further south on Tuesday and bring heavy rain to Sydney.
Homes in Grafton have already been inundated with water as the town’s levee threatens to break.
Residents worry that as the heavy rain continues, mixed with the water flowing down the river from Lismore, they will also lose their homes.
About 200 ADF personnel and emergency services crews and up to 20 civilian boats have been providing assistance to those in trouble across the affected regions.
Rescue efforts continued into the night, although an SES spokesperson said it was important to also take into account the safety of their own personnel.
“They do want to help the community and they genuinely want to get out there, but we need to ensure the safety of our volunteers,” the spokesperson said.
Overnight the Bureau of Meteorology issued additional flood warnings for the Macleay, Orara and Nambucca rivers.
Roads were also closed, including the M1 Pacific Motorway, which was shut in both directions between Cudgera Creek and Tweed Heads.
Adverse weather conditions hampered aerial rescue efforts throughout Monday, with hopes more aircraft could be safely launched to assist those still stranded in the coming days.
