6 hours ago
5
Residents of the mid-north coast of New South Wales have described anxious waits for rescue in the dark as unprecedented flooding inundates homes and businesses across the region.
The State Emergency Service has warned another 200mm of rainfall was predicted to fall in the next 24-48 hours. It has performed 284 rescues in the past 24 hours, the bulk of those in Taree, Wingham and Glenthorne, and now has nine helicopters working the area.
The NSW emergency services minister, Jihad Dib, said 150 of those rescues had occurred since midnight.
The premier, Chris Minns, said priority was being given to people stranded on roofs or in other dangerous situations.
Glenthorne resident Jordan Halloran gave the ABC an eyewitness account of flooding that had left her stranded on the top level of her house with her partner and two-year-old son.
“It’s about probably 600 [cm] off coming into the top level of our house. The main concern is our 2-year-old son who is here with us and two dogs. Even more of a priority is our neighbour’s house which is about to be inundated with water,” she said.
“We’re awaiting rescue since 1am. They said the only way to get us out is with a chopper and there aren’t any. We do feel there’s access through the back of the house. That’s much calmer…”
Halloran said the amount of water exceeded what she had experienced during floods in the town in 2021.
Just before noon, the Halloran family was rescued. Sam Halloran posted video on Facebook of a NSW police helicopter crew coming to their aid, and wrote: “We are now all out and safe including our two doggos”.
The Manning River at Taree is flooding at levels not seen before, surpassing the 1929 record of six metres on Wednesday morning and rising, the SES said.
Taree resident Holly Pillotto spoke to Nine’s Today from the upper level of her home where she had been stranded since Tuesday night.
“Our neighbours on the back verandah here are also stranded,” she said. “It’s a really dangerous spot to be … we do really just want to get some rescue squad out here, and get it happening now that it’s daylight.”
The NSW SES commissioner, Mike Wassing, told a media conference the slow-moving rain system had travelled through the Hunter, mid-north coast and was beginning to head towards the north coast.
He said SES efforts were currently focused on south Taree, Glenthorne and Coffs Harbour.
“We’ve got significant numbers of helicopters, nine helicopters in total, who are working in that area, and we [will] supplement that as necessary if we need to,” Wassing said.
He said there were 44 rescue teams active in the area made up of SES crews and other agencies.
“At the moment, there have been situations overnight where we’re unable to access people, either by air or through water,” Wassing said.
Dib said: “For those people who are waiting to be rescued, we know that this takes time we are working on it is an absolute priority to get you there.”
after newsletter promotion
The weather bureau warned of “lots of flooding to come” after intense rain caused the Manning River to rise to its highest level in almost 100 years.
A Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist, Dean Narramore, forecast 50mm to 150mm rainfall in parts of the state north of Forster on Wednesday, with isolated falls in excess of 200m possible.
Narramore said some areas had been inundated by 300mm to 400mm of rain – the town of Taree even more – causing widespread flash flooding and major river flooding.
He said the rain would not ease until the weekend.
“[There are] still two days of rainfall on the way, with lots of flooding to come.”
Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Kempsey, Sawtell, Dorrigo, Barrington Tops, Wingham and Yarrowitch were in line for more rain.
Locals around the Manning river were warned to evacuate on Tuesday evening.
By Wednesday morning the river was at a level “never seen before” at Taree, , the SES said .
In one of the more significant incidents overnight, 24 people were rescued from the flooded Pacific Highway at Ghini Ghini.
In the state’s Hunter region, the Myall River is among the areas on flood watch, with residents warned to monitor forecasts and rainfall and be ready to move to higher ground.
For Ray, a cleaner at Bulahdelah’s Plough Inn Hotel, the rising river has already caused damage.
“My houseboat went,” he said. “I was looking across the jetty [Tuesday] morning and it wasn’t there. It’s the icing on the cake, [the weather has been on and off for the last couple of weeks.”
Catie McLeod contributed to this report
