Woman missing amid floods, heavy snow in NSWs Hunter, New England and Mid North Coast
Melissa Martin
, ABC News
Emergency flood warnings are in place for parts of NSW.
Photo:
ABC / Amelia Bernasconi
A woman is missing in floodwaters as parts of New South Wales prepare for another day of wild weather.
The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) has responded to more than 1455 incidents due to the snow, wind and rain that lashed the state's Upper Hunter region, Northern Tablelands and Mid North Coast.
The woman was swept away near Cessnock following heavy rain, while vast areas of the New England region were blanketed in snow, leaving up to 200 vehicles stuck in several locations along the New England Highway.
Areas of the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions suffered strong winds and rainfall across the day, leading to scores of buildings being damaged and roads blocked.
Snow and ice in Glencoe, located on the northern tablelands in NSW.
Photo:
ABC / Kim Honan
On Sunday morning, an emergency warning was in place to evacuate from some parts of Scone while major flood warnings have been issued for areas of Tamworth, Gunnedah and Manilla.
Residents in and around Armidale and Glen Innes are being advised to stay near shelter today following the heavy snow that has left all major roads into the city cut off by snow and ice.
Several sections of the New England Highway were closed by snowfall on Saturday.
Photo:
Supplied / NSW SES
Emergency crews are searching this morning for a woman who has been swept away by floodwaters near Cessnock.
Police said a car attempted to drive through floodwaters at Rothbury on Saturday night when it became stuck.
The 27-year-old driver and her passenger, also believed to a woman in her 20s, tried to get out of the vehicle, with the passenger getting washed away.
A 40-year-old man was rescued at the same location after he also became trapped in floodwater.
Residents of parts of Scone were warned to evacuate early on Sunday morning amid rising floodwaters.
Photo:
ABC News / Amelia Bernasconi
The SES said the almost 15,000 calls for help had been mostly for storm damage. Spokesperson Emily Barton said it was a busy night for volunteers.
"Just in the 24 hours to 5am … crews in our northern zone responded to nearly 800 incidents alone," she said. "That was closely followed by our SES volunteers in north-western area, which is the New England region."
The Bureau of Meteorology predicts rainfall will ease on Sunday, however strong winds will sweep through north-east parts of the state.
This house in West Kempsey lost its roof as strong winds caused damage across the Mid North Coast.
Photo:
ABC News
Barton said the state was not out of danger yet.
"The rain will ease today, which I guess is some good news for community members, however riverine levels will continue to rise throughout today and into tomorrow," she said.
Meanwhile, residents in and around Armidale and Glen Innes have been advised to stay near shelter.
Essential Energy said more than 27,000 customers remained without power across the New England and Mid North Coast, with the worst hit areas Kempsey, Armidale, Bulahdelah and Walcha.
Armidale was blanketed in snow and residents are being told to remain near shelter on Sunday.
Photo:
ABC News / Liana Boss
Multiple road closures remain in place across the affected regions.
The New England Highway is closed in several places, the Oxley Highway is closed between Bendemeer and Walcha and the Kamilaroi Highway is closed between Breeza and Curlewis.
However, Waterfall Way has reopened between Armidale and Ebor.
On Saturday, 30 passengers on the NSW TrainLink service from Sydney to Armidale were stopped at Walcha Road Station about 6pm due to a blockage on the tracks.
The train was forced to return to Tamworth about 2am, unable to reach Armidale.
Ice and snow have kept parts of the New England Highway closed on Sunday morning.
Photo:
ABC News / Kim Honan
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ABC News
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