While the situation is developing, there are currently 148 SES warnings in place for the flood zone in NSW.
The current emergency warnings are for:
If you need help, the NSW SES phone number is 132 500.
Call triple-0 if your life is in danger.
You can see the complete list on the Hazard Watch map here.
Moisture, humidity and lack of ventilation: The conditions are perfect for mould to start breeding inside houses as soon as floodwaters starts to go down, microbiologist Cameron Jones has told ABC Port Macqaurie Breakfast.
Dr Jones says small areas of visible mould can be wiped down with microfibre cloths and products such as household disinfectants, clove oil or other astringent products.
He says people should wear a face mask and disposable coveralls when dealing with mould.
“Mould reproduces with spores and those spores can easily become liberated into the airspace,” he explains.
He also recommends a P3 or gas filter mask for bigger jobs such as removing carpet, and particularly if you start to smell mould.
“The smell that you are smelling can be as toxic to human health as the particles themselves.”
Jonathan Howe, a senior meteorologist with the Bureau of Meteorology, is providing an update on the rain and floods.
He says the good news is that the rain in eastern New South Wales has cleared after five days in which the total rainfall has reached up to 700mm in some areas.
“The message from us is to keep following the advice of local police and SES,” he says.
“A lot of rivers are still swollen and there is still a lot of water flowing downstream. So in terms of warnings at the moment, there is still one major flood warning. That’s at Wollombi Brook in the Hunter.”
He says even though the rain has stopped, there is still danger in certain areas as rivers continue to rise.
The BOM will next focus on South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania, where a cold front will move through the south-east.
On the other side of Australia, in northern WA, unseasonal rainfall is expected in the coming days.
Earlier we checked in with Dee Magill at the Victoria Hotel in Hinton, which has been cut off by floodwaters.
Dee says the pub has been keeping locals’ spirits high with some karaoke!
Here’s a little sample:
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As the weather system eases, a number of emergency-level warnings have now been downgraded.
These areas are now under Watch and Act, advising residents to avoid the area:
NSW Premier Chris Minns and Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib have dropped into the SES operation centre at Taree South this morning.
Here are some pictures my colleague Sean Tarek Goodwin captured:
The New South Wales SES has just given an update to the media.
Here’s what we’ve learnt:
SES commissioner Michael Wassing says the authorities estimate between 8,000 and 10,000 properties have been impacted by the flood events
BOM senior meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse says despite sunny skies, a number of flood warnings remain in place, including for major flooding at Bulga on the Wollombi Brook
The SES says its key message to the community while cleaning up is to continue to work closely with emergency service operators
Residents are being told that even if water has receded, if a road is closed, it is still deemed unsafe
BOM senior meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse says despite sunny skies, a number of flood warnings remain in place, including for major flooding at Bulga on the Wollombi Brook.
“We are expecting some of those flood levels to slowly recede through the course of the weekend and into early next week, but those flood warnings remain current,” she says.
She says while NSW will see generally dry conditions across the weekend, a cold front will bring “very windy conditions” across NSW on Monday and Tuesday, particularly in coastal areas.
“We’re talking wind speeds of 30 to 50kph and some gusts up around that 70-90kph [mark], so potentially very windy conditions, and we’ll also see those temperatures cool off, so wind chill is also going to be a feature over the coming days as we see the system move through,” she says.
“In addition to this, we are seeing tides increasing and we are expecting … dangerous southerly swells developing in the wake of the system next week.
“At this stage, there are a number of flood warnings still in place and that includes across parts of Hawkesbury, Nepean and the Wollombi Brook and the Mid North Coast at Kempsey and Coutts Crossing.”
SES commissioner Michael Wassing says they estimate between 8,000 and 10,000 properties have been impacted by the flood events.
“That doesn’t mean all of those have water into their homes or into their businesses,” he says.
“They may have minor impacts, but it is significant, the clean-up operations.”
He says it is not an operation that will take just a few days.
“We are conscious that many of the community members are still in evacuation centres here today,” he says.
“They are tired and they want to get home. We get that and we will work with them to keep them informed of when the right time is to do that and support them … We are conscious of the long haul in terms of mental health impacts associated with the recovery.”
NSW Police Force Public Transport and Public Safety Command Assistant Commissioner Stephen Hegarty says a 49-year-old man who had been missing from the Nambucca area has been found safe and well.
The man was first reported missing on Wednesday evening after not returning home.
“I can tell you that at 5pm yesterday afternoon we received information from a member of the public [and] we attended the location at Kangaroo Point where that male was located safe and well,” Mr Hegarty says.
“Ambulance have assessed him and he in good spirits and good health and he is now reunited with his family.
He said he was not aware of what the man was doing during the time he was missing.
New South Wales police say there is no-one else missing at this stage.
SES commissioner Michael Wassing is speaking now in Sydney, alongside BOM senior meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse and NSW Police Force Public Transport and Public Safety Command Assistant Commissioner Stephen Hegarty.
They’re providing an update on the NSW flood recovery.
Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain says she believes New South Wales has handled the flooding event well.
She says disaster recovery funding arrangements will become available from 2pm on Monday.
More details here:
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As clean-up efforts begin in Smithtown, a local pub is opening its doors to weary townsfolk.
Kristie Ramsey is the licensee of the Riverview Hotel, which sits on the banks of the Macleay River.
She says the water rose just “three or four steps” shy of the pub’s entrance, but inundated the cellar.
“It will be really hard to pump water out of that and keep the pub open and operational for the locals,” she said.
She says they’ve been opening the pub early to allow people to access showers and toilets or seek refuge.
Locals are using kayaks, paddleboards or swimming or wading through water to access the pub.
“We have a few things out but making the best of what we have for the locals,” she said.
“Plenty of beer. The river is flowing but so is the beer.”
You can watch Kristie’s full interview with ABC News Breakfast here:
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The Insurance Council of Australia has already received 1,600 claims from the flood event.
CEO Andrew Hall says a lot more will land with insurers over the weekend and the weeks to come.
“We have had up to 50,000 people over the past few days evacuated from their properties, unable to return to their properties,” he says.
“As the water recedes, people get back to their homes and find they have had some damage and they need to lodge a claim.”
“I urge people to do that as soon as possible.”
And he has a tip for people who have forgotten who their insurer is: Check your banking app to see who you have been paying.
NSW SES Chief Superintendent Paul McQueen says crews will be working today to wash out flood-affected properties and perform damage assessments in areas where floodwaters are beginning to subside.
“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.
“Unfortunately, it is not possible to let people return to their homes until water further subsides and we’re sure they can access their homes and communities safely.”
Federal Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain has been questioned about whether the federal government will provide special assistance for flood-hit farmers.
Farmers have been forced to watched helplessly as livestock have been drowned or washed away, and farmland has been destroyed by floodwaters.
Ms McBain said it was “clear” long-term assistance would be required.
“We’ve got droughts in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, and we know feed and fodder is really important to get to that part of the world,” she said.
“And it’s clear that winter pastures have been impacted by this flood here, and the flooding not so long ago in Queensland, which is still impacting there.
“So feed and fodder is going to be incredibly important for most farmers across the country at this point in time.
“We will work with New South Wales when we get their evidence from disaster impacts and make sure that we’ve got assistance flowing where it’s needed to flow.”
The village of Hinton is more of an island as the Paterson River inundates the area.
Once again, the local pub has become the hub for the community.
Victoria Hotel manager Dee Magill told ABC Newcastle Breakfast the pub had been cut off four times since 2021, so she knew to stock up with beer in advance.
Dee says the community is faring well while it waits for the water to recede, with the pub hosting karaoke and a barbecue to keep spirits up.
She is also working to coordinate deliveries of groceries and medical supplies.
“Everyone is awesome. They come down in the afternoon mainly and get together with the kids,” she said.
“The kids are riding their bikes. They are having ball. The kids think the rainwater is a pool.”
Federal Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain has just spoken to ABC News Breakfast.
She just summarised the assistance that’s being offered to flood-impacted communities.
Disaster recovery funding arrangements have been enacted for 19 local government areas.
“It assists councils with that immediate response, as well as a whole range of clean-up assistance,” she said.
“We are also helping people on low incomes by essential goods, as well as assistance for small businesses and primary producers.”
People who’ve lost earnings as a result of the floods may also be eligible for a payment called Disaster Recovery Allowance.
It provides income support payments to employees, primary producers and sole traders who can demonstrate they have experienced a loss of income as a direct result of the weather event.
If eligible, people can received fortnightly payments for up to 13 weeks up to the applicable rate of JobSeeker Payment or Youth Allowance, depending on their circumstances.
Currently, this will be available for local government areas (LGAs) of:
It’s only available for Australian residents who are 16 years and older and, crucially, if you aren’t on other payments like Age Pension, JobSeeker Payment or the Service Pension.
Here’s the federal government website where you can find out more about these payments.
Earlier, my colleague Sean Tarek Goodwin gave an update from Forster, NSW on ABC News Breakfast.
He said the floods had caused “immense” damage in communities across the Mid North Coast, including in badly hit Taree, which opened up yesterday.
“We went in and spoke to some locals and business owners,” he said.
“Large parts of the CBD were covered in thick silt, and many of the business owners were tearful as they watched hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment being taken out of their businesses to be put into skip bins, now completely useless.
“That has been a very difficult process for a lot of the communities up in the Mid North Coast as they confront the very long clean-up and rebuild ahead for those areas.”
He said other communities remained isolated, with big towns such as Kempsey and Wingham still inaccessible by road.
“Many of the other towns stretch down into the Hunter region through Gloucester, Bowraville — towns around Newcastle and small communities around there remain cut off,” he said.
“The SES has been working to resupply those people with essentials as they wait for the waters to recede.”
