Numerous cattle and livestock were swept away by powerful floodwaters hitting NSW, Australia, this week. Photo / Facebook
Numerous cattle and livestock were swept away by powerful floodwaters hitting NSW, Australia, this week. Photo / Facebook
Devastation continues to descend on NSW after horrific flooding, with dead cattle now washing up on beaches after being swept away in extreme floodwaters.
Residents have had to remove dead livestock and other debris from the sand after a week of torrential rain.
Oxley Island dairy farmer James Nealtold SBS that hundreds of local dairy farmers he knew had been affected.
“It’s such a desperate situation, unprecedented in that any plan you had just went straight out the window,” he said.
“Cows just got washed away and basically got caught on fences.
“I’ve got heaps of photos of stock that has washed up and they’re not even local ones, they’ve come from upriver where obviously people thought they were on flood-free paddocks and they just weren’t.”
Social media is also awash with disturbing photos of animals trapped in the floods.
Four people were killed as catastrophic weather cut off 50,000 people in the state’s Mid North Coast before the rain pummelled Sydney on Friday, delaying trains and cancelling flights across the city.
An infant was taken by rescue helicopter to hospital with a medical condition after being stuck in floodwaters at Riverview near Port Macquarie on Friday.
Flooding also affected large parts of the state east of the Great Dividing Range from the Northern Rivers to the South Coast.
The worst-hit areas were near river systems on the Mid North Coast and Hunter regions including Taree, Kempsey, Port Macquarie and Wauchope.
Sections of the Pacific Highway and Macquarie Pass were shut down because roads were inundated.
Comboyne in the Manning River catchment recorded 700mm of rainfall, and other places received 500 to 600mm of rain across the week.
Authorities warned, as rainfall eased along the NSW coastline across the weekend, that the risk from flooding was far from over as water from heavier falls made its way downstream.
Meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said there would still be widespread significant flooding before another weather system hit the state on Monday bringing strong winds and moderate rainfall.
“River peaks are flowing through lower parts of the catchment, and major flood warnings are in place for the Macleay River, the Hastings River, Wollombi Brook and Tuggerah Lake, with minor to moderate flood warnings for much of the entirety of NSW east coast,” she said.
Power lines down
Extreme weather and flooding have brought down power lines and caused several power outages along the Mid North Coast, particularly in areas of Taree, Port Macquarie and Kempsey.
Floodwaters have surrounded parts of the Mid North Coast, NSW, as relentless rain isolates communities and emergency crews rescue residents from rooftops and rising rivers. Photo / Scott Calvin via NewsWire
MidCoast Council Mayor Claire Pontin said the extent of water damage from floodwaters has been “horrendous”.
“I would have to say that people in Taree and Whingham are – I think they are all in shock,” she told the ABC.
“I speak to people and there is just a bewilderment that it could have been this bad.
“The water in Taree and Whingham has been going down … people are able to get back into their homes and their businesses, and they are just facing devastation and it is going to be tough.”
With power lines down in parts of the MidCoast, Pontin said communication has been “difficult” for people cut off from each other.
“There were and still are a lot of homes that are without power and a lot of people who haven’t been able to use the internet,” she said.
“It is spasmodic. The MidCoast Council covers a very large area but it has been affecting people in the flooded areas in Taree and Whingham.”
Pontin has reassured that power is “coming back online” in the MidCoast and repairs to systems are in progress.
Essential Energy crews have restored power to more than 690 homes and businesses, but 3200 residents still remain without electricity and internet.
Floodwaters are receding in some areas while others are still actively flooding.
Erosion, softened ground, fallen trees, branches and active flood zones have restricted teams from being able to conduct repairs.
Crews have warned residents to exercise caution when entering properties affected by floodwaters by ensuring the power has been shut off or disconnected.
This includes those with solar panels, which can generate electrical current regardless of whether the electricity has been shut off or not.
Seaham Rd at Raymond Tce, Melbourne St at East Maitland between Day St and Cumberland St, and Main Rd Gillieston Heights are also closed because of floods.
In Greater Sydney, Sackville Ferry and Lower Portland Ferry are closed because of the flooding.
Audley Weir in Royal National Park as well as Menangle Rd at the Nepean River Bridge in Menangle have also been closed.
Other closures include Riverside Drive between Delhi Rd and Lane Cove Rd, Wisemans Ferry Rd at Cattai and Pitt Town Rd at McGraths Hill.
Public transport links have been affected with a limited bus replacing trains between Newcastle Interchange and Fassifern on the Central Coast and Newcastle Line because of the flooding at Cockle Creek.
Trains are also not running on the Hunter Line and limited replacement buses running cannot access all stations.
In Campbelltown and Moss Vale, trains have resumed on the Southern Highlands Line after earlier flooding at Mittagong.
Flood alerts still in action
Alerts have been issued by State Emergency Services (SES) on flood conditions.
NSW SES chief superintendent Paul McQueen said crews would be working to wash out flood-affected properties and assess damage in areas where floodwaters are beginning to subside.
Fire and Rescue personnel clear mud and debris from Taree’s town centre after the destructive floods. Photo / Scott Calvin / via NewsWire
“We’re seeing conditions improve and we will have an increased number of volunteers out in force today to start the damage-assessment process, which is likely to take some time to complete,” he said.
“This is important work to allow us to assess any access and safety issues before de-escalating evacuation orders.
“I reiterate this is still a dangerous situation where significant impacts to infrastructure and properties are likely to have occurred.”
However, McQueen said it was still not possible to let people return to their homes until floodwaters subsided and homes and communities could be accessed safely.
Several minor to moderate flood alerts have been issued around areas surrounding the rivers of Deua, Georges, Bega, Hawkesbury, Colo, Hunter, Nepean, Upper Nepean and Shoalhaven.
Transport NSW has warned motorists to avoid non-essential travel in flood-affected areas. Photo / Scott Calvin via NewsWire
Residents living in and around Bega, Wamban, Liverpool, Milperra, Windsor, Upper Colo and Putty Rd, North Richmond, Wallacia, Camden, Nowra, Terara, low-lying properties on Cut Hill Rd, Menangle Bridge and low-lying properties on Cobbitty Rd have been urged to monitor conditions and check warnings issued by SES.
Most of the rivers are expected to remain below minor flood level.
A red alert still remains in Gillieston Heights and people have been advised to prepare for isolation with flooding in progress.
The SES has warned people to avoid areas around Pitnacree, Raworth, as well as properties on parts of Windeyer St, Crolls Mill Lane, Hooke St, Abelard St, Lord St and Brown St and Allison Court Retirement Village, Brown St, with moderate flooding predicted.
