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The day so far
Thanks for reading our live coverage of the floods in Queensland and NSW. Here is a brief summary of what has happened so far today.
- State premiers, as well as Prime Minister Scott Morrison, have all stressed the “unprecedented” nature of the weather event. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet described it as a “one in 1000-year” event and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the state received 80 per cent of its annual rainfall within three days.
- People stranded in their homes have been asked to be patient, as state emergency services field thousands of calls. There have been 1000 flood rescues in NSW and 6000 calls for assistance.
Heavy flooding along the Clarence River impacts South Grafton.Credit:Brook Mitchell
- In NSW, 40,000 people are subject to an evacuation order. The figure is 20,000 in Queensland.
- The federal government has handed out $3 million in disaster payments so far to those affected, with residents of 17 NSW council areas now eligible for payments. The disaster recovery payment, available through Services Australia, is $1000 for adults and $400 per child and there is an ongoing payment for those who cannot work.
- Meanwhile, the number of insurance claims related to the event has doubled overnight to 31,000, the Insurance Council of Australia says.
The Clarence River has swollen to the top of Grafton town levee.Credit:Brook Mitchell
- This evening, an east coast low is forecast to head south down the NSW coast, with heavy to torrential rainfall forecast for Sydney. Some areas between Newcastle and Bega could experience 200mm of rain within six hours. Ferry timetables in Sydney are being altered due to dangerous conditions and sandbagging efforts in flood-prone areas have commenced.
This is Sarah Keoghan and Mary Ward signing off on the blog for this morning. Jenny Noyes and Josh Dye will take our live coverage through to the evening.
Man found dead in submerged car, taking Queensland flood toll to nine
By Cloe Read
Another person has died in Queensland’s flood emergency, bringing the total to nine.
Police divers found the body of a 76-year-old man this morning, after he was reported missing in floodwater at Glen Esk near Lake Wivenhoe, west of Brisbane, on Sunday.
The man was located in his submerged vehicle at Paddy Gully Creek.
The 76-year-old man was found in his submerged vehicle at Paddy Gully Creek.
It takes the national flood death toll since last week to 11 fatalities, including two in NSW.
SES orders Lennox Head residents to evacuate
By Josh Dye
The State Emergency Service has ordered residents in low-lying parts of Lennox Head, near Ballina, to evacuate.
The areas include:
- Eastern side of Byron Bay Road, between Byron Street and Greenfield Road
- Properties on Lakeside Way
- Sailfish Avenue
- Snapper Drive
- Anchorage Avenue
- Western end of Outrigger Road
- Western end of Caloola Road
- Pintail Lane
- Hurtley Drive, south of Gradwell Drive
More photos emerge from flood-ravaged Lismore
Our photographer Elise Derwin has filed some vivid imagery from Lismore in northern NSW, where record flooding put the town underwater.
Residents recover whatever goods they can.Credit:Elise Derwin
A submersed vehicle.Credit:Elise Derwin
Residents rescuing livestock.Credit:Elise Derwin
Flood warnings upgraded for Sydney rivers
The Bureau of Meteorology has updated the flood warnings for NSW rivers.
Greater Sydney
- Upper Nepean River – moderate to major flooding
- Hawkesbury and Lower Nepean Rivers – minor to major flooding
- Colo River – minor flooding
- Cooks River – minor flooding
- Georges and Woronora Rivers – minor to major flooding
Illawarra and South Coast
- Shoalhaven River – moderate to major flooding
- St Georges Basin – moderate to major flooding
- Moruya and Deua Rivers – major flooding
- Bega River – major flooding
- Queanbeyan and Molonglo Rivers – minor flooding
Northern NSW
Major flood warnings remain for the Tweed, Wilsons, Richmond, Clarence and Orara rivers.
RFS trucks heading to Lismore to help clean-up efforts
By Laura Chung
Three Rural Fire Service semi-trailers – packed full of gear and with an army of volunteers onboard – are on their way to Lismore to help with the mammoth clean-up effort as floodwaters recede.
The trucks are carrying 20 tonnes of tents, gumboots, bedding and emergency rations and will spend the night in Coffs Harbour until they can get further north.
The volunteers will be deployed street-by-street to help pump out water, move mud and get people back into their homes.
“We want the RFS to be pre-positioned to be ready to roll in – we don’t want to wait weeks to be ready to go,” RFS inspector Ben Shepherd said.
Lismore residents can’t believe ‘how fast the water came up’
By Laura Chung
The water began pouring through the Traceys' South Lismore house at 11am on Monday.
Jono, 24, was on the phone to his support worker who told him to keep himself and his family calm and signal for help from the first boat that came past. All five of the Tracey family members have physical disabilities.
“There was water rising up everywhere … it was pretty high – the whole house was underwater,” Jono said. “We were in the kitchen. [The water was up] to about our waistline.”
Jono's father, Andrew, said there were a lot of people in the area caught unaware by how quickly the water came up.
“I still don’t believe now how fast it came up,” he said.
At the first sign of a boat, Jono yelled for help. Their rescuers tore down the kitchen window and got all five family members out, but Jono was put in a different rescue boat and separated from his family.
He dropped his phone in the water and was unable to contact the family. He was taken to the Southern Cross University evacuation centre in Lismore, where Donna Walker found him and, through the power of social media, was able to reunite him with his family located at another evacuation centre.
When the Tracey family reunited, they all did a happy dance and jumped for joy, Ms Walker said. While the Tracey family, like many in the town, have lost everything, they’re grateful they have each other.
Ballina CBD expected to be inundated as flood waters return
By Heath Gilmore
Major suburbs of Ballina are expected to go under a metre of floodwater tonight, with the latest forecasts predicting the whole central business district will be inundated.
NSW State Emergency Service volunteers are door-knocking the coastal community in far northern NSW to warn them about the worsening situation, and an evacuation order was issued at 4pm directing those in low-lying parts of the town centre to move to higher ground.
It comes after parts of the Ballina Shire experienced minor flooding in residential areas early this morning. However, the water receded with the outgoing tide.
Ballina dealt with minor flooding on Tuesday morning before the water temporarily receded. Credit:Catherine Naylor
Since then, the ocean of water coming downstream from flood-hit Lismore was ramping up concerns that water levels will be up to one metre higher than this morning.
Ballina Shire mayor Sharon Cadwallader said the modelling suggested that the water would enter a number of houses in the township and outside rural areas. She said thousands of properties could be affected by the worsening situation.
“Unless you have a two-storey home in the low lying areas, evacuate now. Our experts are saying that the water will peak at 9pm, but fear it may not recede despite the changing of the tide,” she said.
Pharmacist asks for a ride to work, Mick Fanning turns up on jet-ski
Northern NSW pharmacist Skye Swift put out an unusual call on social media this morning.
She was seeking a ride from Tweed Heads to Murwillumbah so she could open her pharmacy and ensure residents could get medication.
Next thing she knew, champion surfer Mick Fanning arrived on a jet-ski to take her to work.
BOM warns of ‘extreme’ and unpredictable rainfall from east coast low
By Josh Dye
We've just spoken to the Bureau of Meteorology for an update about the east coast low that's bearing down on Sydney.
Senior forecaster Neil Bennett said precisely when it will hit, and where will be worst affected, is hard to predict. There remains the possibility for “extreme” rainfall totals of up to 200 millimetres in a six-hour window from tonight in some areas between Newcastle and Eden.
“There will be bursts of really, really heavy rain which will lead to flooding which will be potentially life-threatening – it’s not to be trifled with,” he said.
The Nepean River at Penrith is expected to experience moderate to major flooding during the east coast low.Credit:Wolter Peeters
The east coast low is not a traditional weather front that moves through, but a circulation a bit like a cyclone.
“There’s uncertainty about this because of the nature of these beasts – its exact timing is [unknown],” Mr Bennett said.
“Where that circulation is, is going to determine where the southern flank is – that’s where all the action will occur.
“As it drifts to the south over the next couple of days, it’s really how much it deepens and how far south it goes. That’s where the uncertainty arises.”
While Sydney’s forecast for Wednesday is for 60 to 90mm of rain, that’s a conservative estimate. The bureau estimates the lower end (60mm) is most likely and the upper end (90mm) is “most likely heaviest”, but “there will be areas with heavier falls than that”, Mr Bennett said.
“If you’ve got embedded thunderstorms within it, they’ll produce heavier bursts wherever they are. It’s not a uniform rainfall field.”
Damaging wind gusts up to 90km/h could also pose a threat with the ground being so soggy.
“When there are trees sitting in already wet ground … you give them a big blow and you’re running the risk of trees coming down,” he said.
Sydney creek rescue ‘timely reminder’ to stay safe around water
By Jenny Noyes
Earlier we reported a teenager was being rescued from a creek in Sydney’s north-west this afternoon. NSW Ambulance have confirmed a teenage boy slipped into Byles Creek, North Epping just after midday today. Due to the high water level, special operations paramedics decided the safest option was to winch him out via helicopter.
A teenager was rescued from a flooded creek in North Epping on Tuesday. Credit:NSW Ambulance
Happily, the boy was uninjured and did not require further treatment.
NSW Ambulance inspector Andrew Wood said the incident was “a timely reminder for all” that, with significant rainfall predicted across Sydney tonight and tomorrow, “We are urging people to please stay safe around any body of water.”
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2022-03-01 08:56:56Z
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