Floods wreak havoc in Australia's New South Wales, 3 dead; authorities warn worst yet to come

Time of India

22-05-2025

Australia's New South Wales is facing one-in-several-centuries kind of flooding leading to a natural disaster declaration, the evacuation of nearly 50,000 people, and at least three people dead as of May 22, 2025. Australian authorities say one person is still missing in the flood-impacted area.
The massive flooding, impacting regions from the Mid North Coast to Sydney, has seen several dramatic rescues, property and infrastructure damage on a massive scale, prompting a large-scale emergency response and government assistance.
Caused by heavy rainfall, the flooding has overtopped levees, isolated communities, and prompted warnings about the potential for further damage as the weather system moves south and Warragamba Dam in the South Western Sydney suburb approaches capacity.
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Australian flood deaths
NSW Police on Thursday (May 22) reported the recovery of the body of a 60-year-old woman, taking the death toll to three in the devastating floods.
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The woman was driving towards Coffs Harbour last night in convoy with a police officer. Assistant Commissioner David Waddell said the woman made the decision to continue on before becoming trapped in floodwater. A few kilometres further down the road, her four-wheel drive became stuck in faster flowing, deeper floodwaters on Morora Road, Brooklana, about 30km west of Coffs Harbour.
She rang the officer, but when police and the SES travelled to the site, they couldn't find her.
"Obviously, the police officer who spoke to her is very traumatised," Waddell said. "Unfortunately, we didn't get there in time."
Another victim, 63-year-old David Knowles, was at his property in Moto on Monday when floodwaters started to rush in. He told emergency crews to go to help his neighbours and come back for him later. By the time rescuers returned to him, he had died.
His daughters Roxy and Stacey shared a tribute to their father. "Dad passed as a hero yesterday, sending help away to save others," they said. "He didn't want to leave his farm on a good day. We all couldn't be prouder of you, Dad. We love you."
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Premier Chris Minns also paid tribute to Knowles at a press conference. "That must be devastating for his family and for his community, and that community will take time to rebuild and recover as a result of that death," he said.
Warning that the flood situation could worsen in the next few hours, he said, "I must also say that we're bracing for more bad news in the next 24 hours."
A man aged in his 30s went missing after his car became stuck in floodwaters at the intersection of the Oxley Highway and Huntingdon Road near Rosewood. Emergency services found a body believed to be the same man near Rosewood.
Police continue to investigate his death and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
Minns said thousands of homes had been damaged. "I can report that we're expecting 100mm of rain in the general area of operations over the next 24 hours, but in isolated areas it could get between 200mm and 300mm, which again is not what we need, given the huge amount of rainfall that's fallen in the last 48 hours," he said.
"Both the rivers around Taree and Kempsey are stable, or slightly receding. However, there is more rainfall in the mountains and we can't guarantee that it will not peak again."
Massive deployment to help flood hit
About 2500 emergency workers have been deployed, along with 500 appliances including trucks, boats, helicopters as well as soldiers of the Australian Defence Force.
The SES has carried out more than 500 flood rescues in the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions. SES Commissioner Michael Wassing said many of the rescues involved getting people out of trouble after they drove into floodwaters.
There are more than 140 flood warnings in place for the region, including major flood warnings for the Macleay, Hastings, and Manning rivers.
The Macleay has overtopped the levee in the Kempsey CBD, with people being moved to evacuation centres, including several hotels. More than 50,000 people are isolated by the floodwaters, with 9500 homes directly threatened by floods.
And 145 schools are closed today (May 22), with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting more heavy rain after some places received more than 300mm in the past 24 hours.
More rain is set to fall, including widespread 24-hour totals of 100mm to 150mm, with higher localised totals of 200mm to 300mm, the SES warned this morning.
Locations which may be affected include Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Woolgoolga, Sawtell and Dorrigo. NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Colin Malone said conditions overnight had been challenging, with many rescues still to attend to in Taree, Glenthorne, Oxley Island and Moto.
Dozens of rescues were carried out overnight, but calls for help continue to come in.
The town of Taree, about 130 kilometres north-east of Newcastle, is the epicentre of the floods, with dozens of residents rescued from their rooftops and hundreds more fleeing their homes.
Natural Hazards Research Australia chief executive Andrew Gissing said the flooding was the biggest on record for the area, describing the deluge as a one-in-500-year event.
There have been more than 40 rescue teams active between the Hunter and Coffs Harbour.
The following evacuation centres have been open today: Dungog RSL Club, Club Gloucester, Club Taree, Manning Point Bowling Club, Wingham RSL, Bulahdelah Golf Club, Tuncurry Beach Bowling Club, Kempsey Showground, Panthers Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour Club, Sawtell RSL Club, Nambucca RSL Club, Old Bar Bowling Club, Wauchope Showground and Coopernook Hall.
Woolworths said all stores from Newcastle to Port Macquarie were open for now. North of Port Macquarie, the Kempsey Woolworths and Big W were closed after the town was ordered to evacuate.
The state and federal governments activated disaster assistance to communities in 16 local government areas.
That includes: Bellingen, Central Coast, Cessnock, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Dungog, Kempsey, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, MidCoast, Nambucca, Newcastle, Port Macquarie, Port Stephens, Singleton and the Upper Hunter.