This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/22/rain-reprieve-expected-for-north-nsw-after-deadly-flooding-smashed-communities

The article has changed 12 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 7 Version 8
NSW flooding: death toll rises to four after man’s body found in car as intense rain moves south NSW flooding: PM delivers climate crisis warning as damaging winds to strike flood-hit mid-north coast
(about 3 hours later)
Severe weather warning for areas further south as 48,000 stranded and water levels at their highest for 100 years Anthony Albanese acknowledges home insurance now a ‘real challenge’ as government announces disaster assistance for 19 local council areas
NSW floods live updates: latest flooding newsNSW floods live updates: latest flooding news
NSW floods map: record-breaking rain in charts and mapsNSW floods map: record-breaking rain in charts and maps
Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
The death toll in the New South Wales flood disaster has risen to four after a man’s body was found in a car in flood waters near Coffs Harbour on Friday morning. Anthony Albanese says extreme weather events such as the mid-north coast floods are becoming more frequent and intense as one person remains missing and four people have died in the disaster.
Police said a passing driver had reported seeing a vehicle that had run off the Orara Way at Nana Glen, about 30km from the mid-north coast city. Officers found the body of a man, believed to be in his 70s. Police said he appeared to be the vehicle’s only occupant. “You are not alone,” was the message from the prime minister on Friday, as he travelled up to Maitland from Canberra to better grasp the scale of the massive flooding and the required emergency response.
The bodies of three other people have been found since the flooding: a man found in Rosewood, believed to be in his 30s, who was missing since Wednesday night, a 63-year-old man at a home in Moto, and a 60-year-old woman who was caught in flood water while travelling from Sydney to Coffs Harbour in a four-wheel drive on Wednesday night. “Tragically, we’re seeing more extreme weather events. They’re occurring more frequently, and they’re more intense,” Albanese said.
A 49-year-old man who failed to return home after walking near a flooded road at Nymboida was still missing. A large area from the north coast of New South Wales down to the Victorian border had been affected, with the regions between Kempsey and the central coast most heavily affected.
“Sadly, there’s a number of people that have lost their lives as a result of this severe weather event and our condolences go out to friends and family of those that have lost their lives,” a NSW State Emergency Service deputy commissioner, Damien Johnston, said on Friday morning. Strong and damaging wind gusts are forecast to strike from Monday, Angus Hines, a senior meteorologist with the Bureau of Meteorology, said.
“There are a number that are still missing as well and that search continues.” “The land is very wet, extremely saturated after this week’s rainfall … when you get strong winds onto soggy soil that is when trees can come down. There is a potential for tree damage, tree falls, power outages, damages to houses, properties and cars.”
The trough that has battered the region was moving southwards on Friday. The Bureau of Meteorology said while this meant rain had eased on the mid-north coast there were still several flood warnings in place and conditions were dangerous. Albanese and the NSW premier, Chris Minns, had hoped to travel to Taree but poor conditions stopped them accessing the flood hit area.
“Quite a few of those are still seeing flood levels at major classifications and some of those rivers are only falling very slowly,” the BoM’s Jane Golding said. Speaking from the State Emergency Service emergency operations centre in Maitland, they said disaster assistance would be extended to a further three local government areas – Armidale, Muswellbrook and Walcha – taking the total number of council areas eligible for assistance to 19.
Personal hardship assistance grants of $180 per individual or $900 per family will be available, along with $1 million community recovery grants for affected local councils.
This assistance is separate to the disaster recovery allowance announced for the local government areas of Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Mid Coast and Dungog, which Albanese said would be available from 2pm on Monday.
“Tragically, we are getting very experienced at dealing with these challenges,” Albanese said. The National Emergency Management Agency had activated a crisis coordination unit in Canberra and that was working in conjunction with people on the ground in affected communities, he added.
An Australian Defence Force helicopter had been involved in more than a dozen rescues. More ADF personnel would be deployed if required, he said.
As climate change drives more frequent and extreme weather events, Albanese acknowledged insurance of homes “represents a real challenge”. The government was in contact with the Insurance Council of Australia, he said.
“We need to acknowledge that whilst Australia has always had extreme weather events, the science told us that those events would be more frequent and would be more intense, and that is placing pressure on the system,” Albanese said.
“It is a challenge that we need to deal with and be conscious of, and we certainly are, and that’s why we’re we’re engaged directly, not just with the insurance council, the peak [body], but also individual insurance companies.”
‘Impossible, desperate situations’
Minns said there had been 678 flood rescues, including 177 in the past 24 hours, and there were 39 emergency warnings in place.
He paid tribute to volunteers who had “put themselves in harms way to rescue a complete stranger” and said the coming days and weeks would bring “scores of stories of locals being plucked out of impossible, desperate situations”.
“We mourn the people that have passed,” he said.
Sign up to Breaking News Australia
Get the most important news as it breaks
after newsletter promotion
“But I do think it’s important to say without the SES, without the volunteers, we would have had hundreds of deaths.
“We’re in deep, deep gratitude to those people who volunteered their time or work for emergency services.”
The death toll in flood disaster rose to four after a man’s body was found in a car in flood waters near Coffs Harbour on Friday morning.
The trough that has battered the region was moving southwards on Friday. The bureau said while this meant rain had eased on the mid-north coast there were still several flood warnings in place and conditions were dangerous.
Heavy rainfall was concentrated over the Central Coast, Sydney and south coast areas on Friday morning, with between 60mm and 100mm falling in the Sydney metro region and 179mm at North Richmond.Heavy rainfall was concentrated over the Central Coast, Sydney and south coast areas on Friday morning, with between 60mm and 100mm falling in the Sydney metro region and 179mm at North Richmond.
The Nepean dam had spilled and Johnston said the Warragamba dam might spill on Friday or Saturday, however that had become less likely.The Nepean dam had spilled and Johnston said the Warragamba dam might spill on Friday or Saturday, however that had become less likely.
“We’ll continue to monitor and liaise with the community to make sure you’re aware of impacts that may result,” he said.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news emailSign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news emailSign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email
“Stay vigilant. Do not drive through flood waters. I thank you for heeding our warnings. The community has worked well with the New South Wales SES. Do not drive, walk, play, do other things with the waters. They are dangerous.”
The SES had performed 177 flood rescues in the past 24 hours and received 535 calls for assistance, he said. More than 150 flood warnings were in place, 40 of those at emergency level, and about 50,000 people were isolated by flood waters.
Johnston advised those going back into an inundated home to be cautious.
“There are many risks that come with flood waters, if your home or premise has been inundated,” he said. “Flood waters have contaminants. There can be vermin – snakes and other vermin as well. So you need to assess those risks. Electricity can also pose a danger as well.”
A priority on Friday was supplying food and essential medications to isolated communities, he said.
The SES said there had been more than 5,700 calls for assistance recorded and more than 670 flood rescues, using nine helicopters, 500 boats and ground crew. There were 2,500 personnel, including 2,200 SES members, in the field.
Telecommunications services had been affected by the flooding but the workers had been door-knocking residents.
There were 15 evacuation centres open, including at Dungog, Gloucester, Taree, Wingham, Kempsey, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie.There were 15 evacuation centres open, including at Dungog, Gloucester, Taree, Wingham, Kempsey, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie.
Sign up to Breaking News Australia Emergency services personnel from Victoria travelled to NSW on Thursday night to assist.
Get the most important news as it breaks
after newsletter promotion
Emergency services personnel from Victoria were travelling to NSW on Thursday night to assist in the response, with 24 en route including staff from the Victorian SES, Fire Rescue Victoria and the Country Fire Authority.
On Thursday evening the NSW police northern regions commander, David Waddell, announced the third reported death in the floods.
He said the woman, who was yet to be formally identified, was found in Brooklana, west of Coffs Harbour. Her family had been informed.
Police earlier said a body, believed to be that of a man in his 30s missing since Wednesday night, was found near Rosewood on Thursday morning.
The body of a 63-year-old man was found on Wednesday at a home on North Moto Road at Moto.
The 60-year-old woman had travelled with a police officer towards Coffs Harbour at 7pm on Wednesday night until they reached flood waters at Wild Cattle Creek Bridge. The officer was in a BMW sedan and could not continue. The woman was in a 4WD and had decided to continue after the officer checked the water levels, Wardell said.
The woman called 30 minutes later, saying she was in trouble near Brooklana but could not be located. Her vehicle was found at 2pm on Thursday.
Waddell pleaded with people not to enter the flood waters.
“It is a really dangerous, once-in-a-lifetime event, and there’s been some tragedy surrounding this death. Obviously, the police officer who spoke to the woman is very traumatised and we’re wrapping support services around him.”
The federal government activated a disaster recovery allowance for people who live or work in the Kempsey, Port Macquarie-Hastings, MidCoast and Dungog local government areas, available from 2pm on Monday.The federal government activated a disaster recovery allowance for people who live or work in the Kempsey, Port Macquarie-Hastings, MidCoast and Dungog local government areas, available from 2pm on Monday.
People who have lost income as a direct result of the event may be eligible for up to 13 weeks of income support for workers and sole traders. Claims can be made online through myGov or the myGov app.
This is in addition to the joint federal and state disaster recovery funding available across 16 local government areas, which is administered by the NSW government.
Mutual obligation requirements have been suspended for jobseekers in the Hunter region and the mid-north coast until 29 May. The federal government also said people who need to change or pause Centrelink debt payments can do so online or in the mobile app, or by calling 1800 076 07.