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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2016/jun/06/wild-weather-flood-warnings-victoria-tasmania-storm-sydney-south-coast-live
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| Man's body retrieved from floodwaters as storms sweep south – live | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 2.43am BST | |
| 02:43 | |
| Tragically, it appears there may have also been floodwater-related deaths in NSW. I’ll try to get more details shortly. | |
| #BREAKING: Police operation near Camden to retrieve two bodies suspected to be swept from ute. #9News https://t.co/3kTbWfiQyZ | |
| 2.40am BST | |
| 02:40 | |
| From ABC News 24: | |
| That east coast low is now moving towards Tasmania, where four of the State’s major rivers are at bursting point ahead of more torrential rain. | |
| They’re expecting another 100mm there over the next few days. The State Emergency Service says river levels in Launceston have already surpassed those from back in 1929 when floods left 5,000 people homeless. There are major flood warnings for [several] river basins. There’s also a risk of flooding around Kimberley, Railton, Latrobe and Forth in the north-west. | |
| But the good news is, people can be reassured that there’s been a lot of changes obviously to emergency response and arrangements since 1929. | |
| Updated | |
| at 2.41am BST | |
| 2.22am BST | |
| 02:22 | |
| In the wake of the tragic death, the chief executive officer of the ACT State Emergency Service, Conrad Barr, has urged people not to drive through floodwaters. It has to be said that there is no indication that the 37 year-old who died was deliberately chasing floodwaters to drive through in his four-wheel drive. The circumstances leading up to the tragedy is a matter of police investigation. However, Barr warns: | |
| Don’t try to drive through floodwaters. It doesn’t matter what you think, the current is often a lot faster than it appears, and sometimes under a couple of centimetres of dirty, muddy water you can have part of a roadway or great big holes, boulders, logs, all sorts of things that can catch your vehicle and it doesn’t take too much water and pressure against the side of a vehicle to turn it into a temporary boat. | |
| [I] can’t stress more highly, please don’t try to drive through floodwaters, and steer clear of things like storm-water drains and all those sorts of things. I know it might look spectacular but it’s far safer being inside, out of the rain. | |
| 37yo man dead after being swept away by 'savage' floodwaters in Cotter River near Canberra: https://t.co/FkIbMPkIve https://t.co/aR9nve1aXE | |
| 2.15am BST | |
| 02:15 | |
| More from Sgt Hains, who said police came across the man stuck in his vehicle and unable to cross floodwaters at about 4.30pm yesterday. His body was not found and recovered until this morning, Hains said. | |
| During the course of trying to ascertain a safe method to extract that male, the vehicle has shifted and the male has disappeared from view along with the vehicle. A search was then undertaken and a short time later, police, along with emergency services, ACT Fire and Rescue, located what we believe to be a a body stuck in raging floodwaters on an island in the middle of the river. | |
| Police and emergency services worked on a plan together to try to retrieve the deceased. It was not safe to to so last night and police maintained a presence there all night. And this morning, ACT emergency services and ACT policing resources reconvened at the scene and have retrieved the body of a 37-year-old male. | |
| Updated | |
| at 2.20am BST | |
| 2.10am BST | |
| 02:10 | |
| Police say the body of a 37-year-old man has been recovered from the Cotter River | |
| Police are holding a press conference about the body found in the Cotter River, and the details are tragic. Station Sgt Harry Hains says: | |
| We got a call in relation to two young males who’d been out four-wheel driving and they realised they couldn’t get back across the river. Police attended, along with emergency services, Fire and Rescue, to go and assist those males. | |
| In the course of trying to locate a safe point for those males, we located another vehicle, stuck in the river, with a male in the vehicle. That is the vehicle which was subsequently swept by the floodwaters, flipped and disappeared from view, with the male’s body subsequently being recovered early this morning. | |
| So that man was still alive when police... | |
| That is correct. | |
| He said the man was in a four-wheel drive, and that the car was yet to be recovered. Hains said he understood the man had been trying to cross a bush track. The man’s family had been notified, he said. | |
| I’d like to also say it’s an absolute tragedy and our condolences go out to the family. | |
| Hains added that he did not know why the man had been out driving. But he issued a warning to anyone considering driving through the floodwaters. | |
| What I would like to say is that these types of weather conditions, extreme weather conditions we’ve experienced, do lead adventure-seeking type people to seek mud with their four-wheel drives. There is no risk worth taking to cross a flooded river to go and seek some piece of dirt to drive your four-wheel drive on. If a river looks too deep to cross, it’s too deep to cross. | |
| Body of 37 yr old Canberra man recovered from Cotter River this am. Washed away in car yesterday. @abcnewsCanberra pic.twitter.com/haxTwzqkTe | |
| Updated | |
| at 2.21am BST | |
| 1.59am BST | 1.59am BST |
| 01:59 | 01:59 |
| Meanwhile, in Victoria. | Meanwhile, in Victoria. |
| Richard Carlyon, a senior forecaster with the state’s Bureau of Meteorology says the wild weather has only “just glanced” Victoria. The far eastern corner of the state in East Gippsland is the only region affected by the weather system, Carlyon says. But things should be back to normal there by this evening. | Richard Carlyon, a senior forecaster with the state’s Bureau of Meteorology says the wild weather has only “just glanced” Victoria. The far eastern corner of the state in East Gippsland is the only region affected by the weather system, Carlyon says. But things should be back to normal there by this evening. |
| “Heavy rain is still continuing in East Gippsland but it has started to ease a little this morning,” Carlyon says. | “Heavy rain is still continuing in East Gippsland but it has started to ease a little this morning,” Carlyon says. |
| “We’ll see that be maintained for the next six hours and then the rain will clear later this afternoon. By tonight they should be back to mostly fine conditions. We have four flood warnings current and we’ll keep an eye on the rivers in East Gippsland, but this weather has only really just glanced our state.” | “We’ll see that be maintained for the next six hours and then the rain will clear later this afternoon. By tonight they should be back to mostly fine conditions. We have four flood warnings current and we’ll keep an eye on the rivers in East Gippsland, but this weather has only really just glanced our state.” |
| The heaviest rainfall in the last two hours were in Genoa, with 171mm, Gabo island with 157mm and Mallacoota with 153mm. | The heaviest rainfall in the last two hours were in Genoa, with 171mm, Gabo island with 157mm and Mallacoota with 153mm. |
| Flood Watch for East Gippsland (Mitchell, Tambo, Snowy, Cann and Genoa Rivers and Gippsland Lakes): https://t.co/DgPm8j7e6X #vicfloods | Flood Watch for East Gippsland (Mitchell, Tambo, Snowy, Cann and Genoa Rivers and Gippsland Lakes): https://t.co/DgPm8j7e6X #vicfloods |
| 1.39am BST | 1.39am BST |
| 01:39 | 01:39 |
| I have just spoken to ACT police media, who have confirmed a body has been found in the Cotter river area, but that is all they can say at this stage. The SES and police will be holding a media conference at 11am with more details. | I have just spoken to ACT police media, who have confirmed a body has been found in the Cotter river area, but that is all they can say at this stage. The SES and police will be holding a media conference at 11am with more details. |
| A body has been found in the Cotter River. It is believed they were swept away in flood waters. #9Today https://t.co/aTbs03Obf5 | A body has been found in the Cotter River. It is believed they were swept away in flood waters. #9Today https://t.co/aTbs03Obf5 |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.42am BST | at 1.42am BST |
| 1.31am BST | 1.31am BST |
| 01:31 | 01:31 |
| Some tragic news this morning. The ABC is reporting that a body has been found in the floodwaters. | Some tragic news this morning. The ABC is reporting that a body has been found in the floodwaters. |
| #BREAKING A body, believed to have been swept away in floodwaters, has been found in the Cotter River near #Canberra #ACT | #BREAKING A body, believed to have been swept away in floodwaters, has been found in the Cotter River near #Canberra #ACT |
| 1.27am BST | 1.27am BST |
| 01:27 | 01:27 |
| Commuters in and around Sydney are being affected this morning, with train lines covered in debris, Transport NSW says. AAP reports: | Commuters in and around Sydney are being affected this morning, with train lines covered in debris, Transport NSW says. AAP reports: |
| The light rail between central and Lilyfield is also closed due to branches falling on overhead wires. | The light rail between central and Lilyfield is also closed due to branches falling on overhead wires. |
| A land slip at Guildford has closed the T5 Cumberland Line between Blacktown and Campbelltown and the T2 South and Inner West Line from Granville to Cabramatta. | A land slip at Guildford has closed the T5 Cumberland Line between Blacktown and Campbelltown and the T2 South and Inner West Line from Granville to Cabramatta. |
| Flooding has closed the South Coast Line between Wollongong and Bomaderry and between Wollongong and Port Kembla. | Flooding has closed the South Coast Line between Wollongong and Bomaderry and between Wollongong and Port Kembla. |
| More than 85,000 homes and businesses on the central coast, in Sydney and the Shoalhaven region were without power over the weekend due to the storms. | More than 85,000 homes and businesses on the central coast, in Sydney and the Shoalhaven region were without power over the weekend due to the storms. |
| Ausgrid says it’s working to restore power to about 8,000 homes in Sydney’s north and northern beaches, while crews from Endeavour Energy have to help around 4,000 customers in Sydney’s west, the southern highlands, the Illawarra and the south coast. | Ausgrid says it’s working to restore power to about 8,000 homes in Sydney’s north and northern beaches, while crews from Endeavour Energy have to help around 4,000 customers in Sydney’s west, the southern highlands, the Illawarra and the south coast. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.38am BST | at 1.38am BST |
| 1.21am BST | 1.21am BST |
| 01:21 | 01:21 |
| A round up of the damage at Collaroy. | A round up of the damage at Collaroy. |
| Seven beachfront homes and an apartment block were evacuated last night. Collaroy Surf Club has been severely damaged by surf and the Beach Club, which lost its balcony to the eight metre waves overnight, has announced it is closed until further notice. | Seven beachfront homes and an apartment block were evacuated last night. Collaroy Surf Club has been severely damaged by surf and the Beach Club, which lost its balcony to the eight metre waves overnight, has announced it is closed until further notice. |
| Need some adrenalin with your morning coffee? This is a photo from the venue on Sunday morning. Given the damage since, the “enter at your own risk” joke is perhaps not quite as funny today. | Need some adrenalin with your morning coffee? This is a photo from the venue on Sunday morning. Given the damage since, the “enter at your own risk” joke is perhaps not quite as funny today. |
| 1.12am BST | 1.12am BST |
| 01:12 | 01:12 |
| About 4,200 homes in Tasmania are without power, the Mercury reports. | About 4,200 homes in Tasmania are without power, the Mercury reports. |
| Residents and authorities are bracing for further heavy rain and wind as the east coast low moves slowly over the state. | Residents and authorities are bracing for further heavy rain and wind as the east coast low moves slowly over the state. |
| A gale warning is in place for: Frederick Henry Bay and Norfolk Bay, Storm Bay, Banks Strait and Franklin Sound, East of Flinders Island, Upper East Coast, Lower East Coast, South East Coast and South West Coast. | A gale warning is in place for: Frederick Henry Bay and Norfolk Bay, Storm Bay, Banks Strait and Franklin Sound, East of Flinders Island, Upper East Coast, Lower East Coast, South East Coast and South West Coast. |
| There is a strong wind warning for Derwent Estuary and Channel. | There is a strong wind warning for Derwent Estuary and Channel. |
| The Mercury reports evacuation centres have been set up at the East Davenport Recreation Ground, Caroline St in East Devonport, the Railway Institute Hall, and Station St behind the airport. | The Mercury reports evacuation centres have been set up at the East Davenport Recreation Ground, Caroline St in East Devonport, the Railway Institute Hall, and Station St behind the airport. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.36am BST | at 1.36am BST |
| 12.58am BST | 12.58am BST |
| 00:58 | 00:58 |
| Let’s not forget the animals also suffering through the miserable weather and destructive floods. The last post had a sea turtle, now for a horse. | Let’s not forget the animals also suffering through the miserable weather and destructive floods. The last post had a sea turtle, now for a horse. |
| Camden Valley Way #NSWSES attending a horse #rescue pic.twitter.com/VD3N4QSnU6 | Camden Valley Way #NSWSES attending a horse #rescue pic.twitter.com/VD3N4QSnU6 |
| 12.51am BST | 12.51am BST |
| 00:51 | 00:51 |
| Readers have sent in their photos and videos of the wild weather. A few selections are below. You can also contribute yours here, we’d love to see them. | Readers have sent in their photos and videos of the wild weather. A few selections are below. You can also contribute yours here, we’d love to see them. |
| Coastal erosion at Thirroul NSW | Coastal erosion at Thirroul NSW |
| This hole opened up overnight. Photo taken at low tide Sunday 5 June. Beach mostly gone already with king tide still to come. | This hole opened up overnight. Photo taken at low tide Sunday 5 June. Beach mostly gone already with king tide still to come. |
| Sent via Guardian Witness | Sent via Guardian Witness |
| By nyaminyami | By nyaminyami |
| 5 June 2016, 16:48 | 5 June 2016, 16:48 |
| Jacqui and Paul at Palm Beach with stranded and exhausted green turtle | Jacqui and Paul at Palm Beach with stranded and exhausted green turtle |
| Paul Wachter, a ranger with the Northern Beaches Council, called Jacqui Marlow, a Sydney Metropolitan Wildlife carer, early on Sunday morning 5th June 2016 to attend to a green turtle had been washed ashore by huge seas on Palm Beach. Jacqui took the turtle to Taronga Zoo where Taronga Zoo vet nurse Liz said that it was not clear why the animal had been washed ashore and that it was clearly exhausted. Liz said that Taronga Zoo has a good history of rehabilitating and subsequently releasing green turtles that are brought to them for care. The process of rehabilitation is a slow one, Liz said, and it could be months before the young turtle is well enough to be released. | Paul Wachter, a ranger with the Northern Beaches Council, called Jacqui Marlow, a Sydney Metropolitan Wildlife carer, early on Sunday morning 5th June 2016 to attend to a green turtle had been washed ashore by huge seas on Palm Beach. Jacqui took the turtle to Taronga Zoo where Taronga Zoo vet nurse Liz said that it was not clear why the animal had been washed ashore and that it was clearly exhausted. Liz said that Taronga Zoo has a good history of rehabilitating and subsequently releasing green turtles that are brought to them for care. The process of rehabilitation is a slow one, Liz said, and it could be months before the young turtle is well enough to be released. |
| Sent via Guardian Witness | Sent via Guardian Witness |
| By IanRalph | By IanRalph |
| 5 June 2016, 19:10 | 5 June 2016, 19:10 |
| Crazy waves hitting cliff at Bondi Beach | Crazy waves hitting cliff at Bondi Beach |
| Crazy waves hitting cliff at Bondi Beach | Crazy waves hitting cliff at Bondi Beach |
| Sent via Guardian Witness | Sent via Guardian Witness |
| By SamohtNZ | By SamohtNZ |
| 5 June 2016, 21:20 | 5 June 2016, 21:20 |
| 12.31am BST | 12.31am BST |
| 00:31 | 00:31 |
| The drama is not over for the Sydney region yet. The State Emergency Service reports bridge closures on the Hawkesbury river, a number of roads closed due to flooding, and evacuation orders were in place for parts of Picton, low-lying parts of Woronora and Lansvale. | The drama is not over for the Sydney region yet. The State Emergency Service reports bridge closures on the Hawkesbury river, a number of roads closed due to flooding, and evacuation orders were in place for parts of Picton, low-lying parts of Woronora and Lansvale. |
| Bridge Closures along the #Hawkesbury today.Windsor Bridge will be closed at 10:30am & Richmond Bridge at 12pm. Find an alternate route | Bridge Closures along the #Hawkesbury today.Windsor Bridge will be closed at 10:30am & Richmond Bridge at 12pm. Find an alternate route |
| Ferries have resume between Manly and the city, but remain cancelled from Palm Beach. Buses are replacing ferries between Rydalmere and Parramatta. There are partial closures and delays on the trains. Buses will at some point replace light rail between Central and Lilyfield (but they’re not there yet). | Ferries have resume between Manly and the city, but remain cancelled from Palm Beach. Buses are replacing ferries between Rydalmere and Parramatta. There are partial closures and delays on the trains. Buses will at some point replace light rail between Central and Lilyfield (but they’re not there yet). |
| And this picture was just posted from Tasmania. Don’t drive through flood waters people! | And this picture was just posted from Tasmania. Don’t drive through flood waters people! |
| This was the Bass Hwy. @SESTasmania urging people to stay clear of #flood waters. pic.twitter.com/BA0HYdojBV | This was the Bass Hwy. @SESTasmania urging people to stay clear of #flood waters. pic.twitter.com/BA0HYdojBV |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.35am BST | at 1.35am BST |
| 12.02am BST | 12.02am BST |
| 00:02 | 00:02 |
| Here is some of the devastation at Collaroy and Narrabeen. The combination of the east coast low, a king tide and the wind direction was bad news for the beachside houses. | Here is some of the devastation at Collaroy and Narrabeen. The combination of the east coast low, a king tide and the wind direction was bad news for the beachside houses. |
| About 8,000 houses were still without power in Sydney’s north this morning. | About 8,000 houses were still without power in Sydney’s north this morning. |
| The Beach Club Collaroy #sydneyweather #SydneyStorm @702sydney @abcnews pic.twitter.com/Ap79dd6tee | The Beach Club Collaroy #sydneyweather #SydneyStorm @702sydney @abcnews pic.twitter.com/Ap79dd6tee |
| The erosion has exposed sea walls and house foundations built in the 1960s and 70s. | The erosion has exposed sea walls and house foundations built in the 1960s and 70s. |
| WRL coastal monitoring team up at first light to survey the damage at Collaroy #sydneystorm #drone @UNSWEngineering pic.twitter.com/HjgVg5GKJg | WRL coastal monitoring team up at first light to survey the damage at Collaroy #sydneystorm #drone @UNSWEngineering pic.twitter.com/HjgVg5GKJg |
| Sydney’s eastern beaches didn’t escape it either, with 12-metre waves recorded. | Sydney’s eastern beaches didn’t escape it either, with 12-metre waves recorded. |
| Coogee Surf club's wall smashed in by the storm last night pic.twitter.com/bHIpigf29k | Coogee Surf club's wall smashed in by the storm last night pic.twitter.com/bHIpigf29k |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.34am BST | at 1.34am BST |
| 11.52pm BST | 11.52pm BST |
| 23:52 | 23:52 |
| Far East Gippsland in Victoria is expected to cop heavy rainfall, and is on flood watch. Minor flood warnings are in place for the Genoa and Snowy rivers, and a moderate warning for the Bombala river. | Far East Gippsland in Victoria is expected to cop heavy rainfall, and is on flood watch. Minor flood warnings are in place for the Genoa and Snowy rivers, and a moderate warning for the Bombala river. |
| In Tasmania SES crews rescued several people in the north and northwest after they tried to drive through floodwaters (please don’t do that!) and got stranded. | In Tasmania SES crews rescued several people in the north and northwest after they tried to drive through floodwaters (please don’t do that!) and got stranded. |
| The Central North, North East, East Coast and South East districts as well as parts of the North West Coast, Central Plateau and Midlands forecast districts are expected to receive heavy rains which may cause flash flooding. | The Central North, North East, East Coast and South East districts as well as parts of the North West Coast, Central Plateau and Midlands forecast districts are expected to receive heavy rains which may cause flash flooding. |
| A major flood warning has been issued for the Meander River Basin. | A major flood warning has been issued for the Meander River Basin. |
| Damaging winds at speeds of about 50 km/h, gusting up to 90 km/h are forecast for the Furneaux Islands, North East and East Coast districts and parts of the Midlands and South East districts. | Damaging winds at speeds of about 50 km/h, gusting up to 90 km/h are forecast for the Furneaux Islands, North East and East Coast districts and parts of the Midlands and South East districts. |
| AAP reports residents of the Kimberley, Railton, Latrobe and Forth region are warned they may see flooding as the Mersey and Forth Rivers rise faster than anticipated. | AAP reports residents of the Kimberley, Railton, Latrobe and Forth region are warned they may see flooding as the Mersey and Forth Rivers rise faster than anticipated. |
| Some residents in the Wynyard area were forced to move due to the rising water levels, while the Emu River at Wivenhoe has burst its banks and reportedly flooded a nearby industrial area, said the report. | Some residents in the Wynyard area were forced to move due to the rising water levels, while the Emu River at Wivenhoe has burst its banks and reportedly flooded a nearby industrial area, said the report. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.32am BST | at 1.32am BST |
| 11.50pm BST | 11.50pm BST |
| 23:50 | 23:50 |
| Good morning, and welcome to our coverage of the wild and destructive weather lashing the east coast of Australia. | Good morning, and welcome to our coverage of the wild and destructive weather lashing the east coast of Australia. |
| Entire stretches of beach are gone and buildings have partially collapsed into the ocean, suburbs have flooded and residents have been evacuated as a monster storm made its way through Queensland and New South Wales over the weekend. | Entire stretches of beach are gone and buildings have partially collapsed into the ocean, suburbs have flooded and residents have been evacuated as a monster storm made its way through Queensland and New South Wales over the weekend. |
| Victorians and Tasmanians are now on alert as the damaging weather makes its way south. | Victorians and Tasmanians are now on alert as the damaging weather makes its way south. |
| Collaroy and Narrabeen beaches, in Sydney’s north, are largely gone after monster seas combined with a king tide to rip up to 15 metres of sand and soil away. Several houses and the Collaroy Services club are teetering on the edge, having lost balconies and backyards. Incredible pictures show an in-ground pool torn from a yard. I’ll bring a round of of video and photos shortly. | Collaroy and Narrabeen beaches, in Sydney’s north, are largely gone after monster seas combined with a king tide to rip up to 15 metres of sand and soil away. Several houses and the Collaroy Services club are teetering on the edge, having lost balconies and backyards. Incredible pictures show an in-ground pool torn from a yard. I’ll bring a round of of video and photos shortly. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.24am BST | at 1.24am BST |