Heavy rain brings flash flooding across parts of NSW
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SBS Australia
11 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Emergency services face 'hectic' conditions, search for woman in floodwaters ongoing
Wild weather has hammered both sides of Australia with multiple flood, storm and snow warnings in place. A search remains under way for a woman swept into floodwaters in the Hunter region of NSW. Emergency workers were called north of Cessnock on Saturday night after reports a Mini car was grounded due to the floods. The driver, a 27-year-old woman, managed to get out but the passenger, 26, was dragged away with the strong current. 'A tragic circumstance and a dire situation' Police said the women were visiting the Hunter from Sydney, but had decided to return home due to their concern about flooding in the area. "It's a tragic circumstance and a dire situation in terms of a warning for community members," Hunter Valley police superintendent Steve Laksa said. "We've had a number of areas in the Hunter Valley that have been prone to evacuation orders and warnings in relation to floodwaters. I'd just ask the community to take heed of those warnings and do not enter any waterway." The missing woman is an engineer and has been in Australia on a working visa for the past three years. Meanwhile, State Emergency Service (SES) crews responding to the emergency managed to save a 40-year-old man who was stuck in a nearby tree due to floodwater. The man was swept out of the tree but rescuers followed him in the water and managed to pull him to shore, and he was taken to hospital. Both sides of the nation faced severe weather, with high winds and storms in Western Australia and soggy conditions and flooding continuing for northern NSW. 'A very hectic period' Tens of thousands of households in the eastern state spent a night without power as heavy rain, floods and unprecedented snow wreaked havoc. The NSW SES responded to more than 1,455 call-outs related to rain, thunderstorms and snow. "It has been a very hectic period for our wonderful NSW volunteers and we've had over 1,300 of them out and about, responding predominantly around the mid north coast area," deputy commissioner Debbie Platz told ABC News. The NSW SES reported on Sunday morning that they'd been responding to severe weather and widespread flooding across NSW, with over 1,455 incidents linked to heavy rain, storms and snow. Source: AAP / NSW State Emergency Services "We do need people to be cautious because what we're now seeing is whilst the rain has eased in many parts, the floods will now start." Emergency services issued nine flood watches along with 32 severe weather warnings across NSW for damaging surf winds, coastal erosion and the potential for snow and black ice. Residents in some parts of Taree on the mid north coast have been asked to evacuate due to flooding, while warnings are in place for the Peel and Namoi Rivers at Tamworth, Manilla and Gunnedah. Armidale and Guyra in New England had unprecedented snowfall and SES crews responded to more than 100 trapped cars. Wild weather is hammering both sides of the nation as rescuers continue searching for a woman swept away in floodwaters. Source: AAP / AAP Image / Flavio Brancaleone Nearly 20,000 homes were left without power in Perth on Sunday as storms swept through the city. Authorities warned surfers, fishers, swimmers and boating enthusiasts to stay clear of the coast due to dangerous swells. People have been urged to stay at least eight metres away from fallen power lines, power poles and damaged electricity equipment.
ABC News
13 hours ago
- ABC News
Wild weather in NSW damages buildings, isolates residents and cuts power
A home north of Port Macquarie has been destroyed in this weekend's violent weather across north-east New South Wales. Tenant Suzanne Siossian is among thousands of people who are counting costs after snow, wind and rain lashed the region. The 81-year-old said the outside facia board on the Crescent Head house came loose, the roof lifted and the walls collapsed during the storm. Ms Siossian, who only moved into the rental this week, was lucky to get out in time. Her neighbour, Amelia Coy, saw the destruction unfold. "The house is completely ruined," Ms Coy said. "I've lived here my whole life and I've never seen weather like this before. We've seen some wild storms over the years, but nothing ever like this." Wild winds ripped the roof off Kempsey High School on Saturday. Kempsey Shire Mayor Kinnie Ring said scores of students due to sit their HSC trials at the school on Monday would most likely be relocated to other schools in the area. "All across the shire it's been a really devastating event, and right in the middle of recovery from the May floods," Cr Ring said. West Kempsey resident Michael Chapman was lying in bed when the roof peeled off his house around midday. He took refuge at his parents' house, worrying mostly about the impact on his dog. "The intensity of it was ridiculous," he said. "Everything is wet, beds, television, everything. "I'm lost. I really don't know where to go from here, but I suppose we will take it step-by-step." Armidale's Goldfish Bakery owner Trent Rush said he struggled on Sunday with staff because they were unable to make their way to work through the snow. He said several businesses in the town were closed today due to power outages and staffing issues. He said the talk of the town was the amount of chaos caused by the snowy conditions, with the airport shut down and heavy vehicles losing traction on the New England Highway. Armidale resident Tess Dasey, 68, said it was the most snow she had ever seen in the university town. "We had a big fall in 1984, but this weekend was bigger," Ms Dasey said. "We thought it was very pretty on Saturday afternoon, but now we're without electricity like much of New England … our solar panels are covered by 10 centimetres of snow and our battery is dead. "Our driveway is covered in tree branches and snow, so we can't get out to deal with that." Member for Parkes Jamie Chaffey, who is based in Gunnedah, was preparing his farm for flooding on Sunday morning. He said farmers were keeping a close eye on how high the water would go. "Sometimes a moderate flood can be OK on agricultural land," he said. "But this time of year, there are a lot of crops, canola and oats and grain crops, so the potential is for significant loss here if it turns into a major flood." He said his major focus would be ensuring communities in the region were prepared and informed, and supported to recover from any damage. Member for New England Barnaby Joyce said he was concerned for livestock and local infrastructure. The Tamworth-based MP said he was not yet in a position to comment on what type of grant assistance could become available. "Let's just see what happens to pastures, obviously, if there's a complete wipe-out of pastures, then people will need help," he said. "I think a lot of buildings were not built to bear the weight of snow that was on them, so it will be interesting to see what happens with that." He said he expected a significant damage bill to repair roads affected by the rain and snow. "Let's just wait until the snow goes to see what happens next."
SBS Australia
15 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Search for motorist swept away by floodwaters as wild weather lashes NSW and WA
Rescue workers are searching for a woman after the car she was a passenger in was swept away in floodwaters. Emergency workers were called north of Cessnock in the Hunter region of NSW following reports a Mini car was grounded due to the floods about 8pm on Saturday. The driver, a 27-year-old woman, managed to get out but the passenger, in her mid-20s, was dragged away with the strong current. A search for the woman was suspended overnight and resumed on Sunday morning. Meanwhile, State Emergency Service (SES) crews responding to the emergency managed to save a 40-year-old man who was stuck in a nearby tree due to floodwater. The man was swept out of the tree but rescuers followed him in the water and managed to pull him to shore, and he was taken to hospital. Both sides of the nation are facing wild weather, with high winds and storms expected in Western Australia and soggy conditions and flooding continuing for northern NSW. Tens of thousands of households in the eastern state spent a night without power as heavy rain, floods and unprecedented snow wreaked havoc. The SES has responded to more than 1455 call-outs related to rain, thunderstorms and snow. Residents in some parts of Taree on the mid north coast have been asked to evacuate due to flooding, while warnings are in place for the Peel and Namoi Rivers at Tamworth, Manilla and Gunnedah. Armidale and Guyra in New England had unprecedented snowfall and SES crews responded to more than 100 trapped cars. The NSW SES reported on Sunday morning that they'd been responding to severe weather and widespread flooding across NSW, with over 1,455 incidents linked to heavy rain, storms and snow. Source: AAP / NSW State Emergency Services A new low-pressure system is expected to push up the NSW coast on Sunday, but conditions are likely to ease by afternoon, the Bureau of Meteorology said. Elsewhere, the bureau has issued a severe weather warning as a cold front moves through WA on Sunday, with damaging winds expected across the state's southwest, affecting Perth, Albany, Bunbury, Margaret River and the goldfields. "Most of these damaging wind gusts will be driven by showers and thunderstorms," meteorologist Miriam Bradbury said. Authorities warn surfers, fishers, swimmers and boating enthusiasts to stay clear of the coast amid dangerous swells. More than 27,500 NSW homes and businesses experienced power disruptions, Essential Energy said on Saturday night. People have been urged to stay at least eight metres away from fallen power lines, power poles and damaged electricity equipment. Lightning temporarily forced the Wallabies and British and Irish Lions to seek cover during Saturday night's clash in Sydney, before the Australians managed to avoid a series whitewash. Much of the match was played in torrential rain, while lightning early in the second half forced a rare 38-minute stoppage as several hundred fans were forced to evacuate the stadium to take shelter.
