Latest news with #ColinMalone
Mint
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Mint
Four Die as Floods Hammer Area North of Sydney, More Rain Coming
(Bloomberg) -- At least four people died and thousands are without power as severe storms lashed Australia's most populous state. Large swaths of New South Wales state remain on high alert for floods and extreme weather. Heavy rainfall is expected to continue into the weekend in central and southern regions, and coastal areas are bracing for wind gusts of up to 80 kilometers an hour, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. The weather system is now moving south with heavy rains in Sydney on Friday. 'Flooding will likely continue through Friday, Saturday and even into Sunday for much of eastern New South Wales,' said Dean Narramore, a meteorologist at the bureau. Some areas have recorded as much as 600mm of rainfall over the last four days, he said. Global warming is making extreme weather such as torrential rain more frequent, putting lives, critical infrastructure and crops across the world at risk. The intensity of short and heavy rain events has increased by around 10% or more in some Australian regions, according to the government's most recent biennial State of the Climate report. The floods have already left at least 50,000 people isolated and four dead, with an one other person missing. Over 600 people have been rescued since the flooding began, Colin Malone, New South Wales emergency services assistant commissioner, said Friday morning. 'We'll be using boats and helicopters to help isolated people with food and medications, and also assist in transporting people to urgent medical appointments or other medical emergencies,' he said. More than 500 boats and nine helicopters have been deployed across the state. 'Yet again, devastating flooding, water over rooftops, and people being evacuated, the word 'unprecedented' becomes meaningless for how Australian society and policymakers need to respond to these increasingly prevalent events,' said Paula Jarzabkowski, a researcher at the University of Queensland, who specializes in insurance protection. More stories like this are available on
Business Times
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Business Times
Four die as floods hammer area north of Sydney, more rain coming
AT LEAST four people died and thousands are without power as severe storms lashed Australia's most populous state. Large swaths of New South Wales state remain on high alert for floods and extreme weather. Heavy rainfall is expected to continue into the weekend in central and southern regions, and coastal areas are bracing for wind gusts of up to 80 kmh, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. The weather system is now moving south with heavy rains in Sydney on Friday. 'Flooding will likely continue through Friday, Saturday and even into Sunday for much of eastern New South Wales,' said Dean Narramore, a meteorologist at the bureau. Some areas have recorded as much as 600mm of rainfall over the last four days, he said. Global warming is making extreme weather such as torrential rain more frequent, putting lives, critical infrastructure and crops across the world at risk. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The intensity of short and heavy rain events has increased by around 10 per cent or more in some Australian regions, according to the government's most recent biennial State of the Climate report. The floods have already left at least 50,000 people isolated and four dead, with an one other person missing. Over 600 people have been rescued since the flooding began, Colin Malone, New South Wales emergency services assistant commissioner, said on Friday morning. 'We'll be using boats and helicopters to help isolated people with food and medications, and also assist in transporting people to urgent medical appointments or other medical emergencies,' he said. More than 500 boats and nine helicopters have been deployed across the state. 'Yet again, devastating flooding, water over rooftops, and people being evacuated, the word 'unprecedented' becomes meaningless for how Australian society and policymakers need to respond to these increasingly prevalent events,' said Paula Jarzabkowski, a researcher at the University of Queensland, who specialises in insurance protection. BLOOMBERG
News.com.au
22-05-2025
- Climate
- News.com.au
‘Far from over': 50k residents cut off as deluge continues on Mid North Coast
Near 50,000 people have been cut off in the deadly flooding that has claimed three lives in the NSW Mid North Coast and Hunter regions. Severe weather is expected to continue to smash parts of eastern NSW, as the wet conditions move south towards Gosford, Newcastle and Bowra throughout Friday. The Blue Mountains and the Illawarra ranges have received 150mm of rainfall in the span of 24 hours. Overnight, the NSW SES responded to more than 1,500 incidents across the state and rescued 177 people from the floodwaters, totalling to 678 rescues since the wild weather began. NSW SES State Duty Commander Assistant Commissioner Colin Malone said while the rain was expected to begin easing later on Friday, the risk from flooding was far from over. 'For the last few days, our efforts have focused on undertaking lifesaving rescues, where more than 600 have been carried out since this flooding began,' he said. More than 50,000 residents are at risk of being isolated and more than 9,000 homes are under threat as major flooding continues to cause carnage along the coast. Major flooding warnings are in place for the Nambucca, Macleay, Hastings, Manning and Paterson Rivers and Wollombi Brook, Rain began to ease in Macksville on Thursday evening, giving residents a sense of relief for Nambucca catchments along the Mid North Coast, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Mr Malone said that despite rain beginning to taper off in the Mid North Coast, residents were not out of the woods yet. 'We may see renewed rises as water from earlier heavy falls makes its way downstream,' he said. The deluge is finally expected to begin easing on Saturday.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Three dead, entire towns underwater and supermarket shelves stripped bare as horror floods wreak havoc on Australia's east coast
Supermarket shelves are empty as record floodwaters and heavy rains claim three lives and cut off a large section of a major highway. The floods on the NSW mid-north coast claimed two more victims on Thursday, including a man aged in his thirties found at Rosewood, near the Port Macquarie-Hastings town of Wauchope. The body of a Dorrigo woman, 60, was later recovered from floodwaters in northern NSW on Thursday afternoon. Th two tragedies followed the death David Knowles, 63, whose body was found at his property on North Moto Road near Coopernook, north of Taree, on Wednesday afternoon. He was the first victim of an escalating floods crisis north of Newcastle, as four days of heavy downpours approaching 300mm left several people missing. Record-high floodwaters in Taree have surpassed a 1929 record of six metres. But at nearby Wingham, the Manning River reached 11.7 metres on Thursday afternoon. About 50,000 face being cut off by floodwaters as intense rain sparks new evacuation warnings. Duty commander Assistant Commissioner Colin Malone said crews were battling to rescue people in Taree, Glenthorne, Oxley Island and Moto. 'We've seen continual rainfall and very fast flowing rivers, which when combined with flooded roads have made it very difficult to access some isolated people,' he said. 'Our crews have been working through the night to complete flood rescues, but our message to people still awaiting rescue, is to remain in safe locations, away from flood waters in dry locations if possible.' A 36km stretch of the Pacific Highway north of Taree remains closed between Coopernook and Purfleet, stopping semi-trailers from transporting much needed produce to supermarkets. Port Macquarie is also flooded with the Hastings River set to peak at seven metres upstream at the inland town of Wauchope, which remains cut off from the Oxley Highway. In Kempsey's town centre, the Macleay River has also broken a levee bank and is expected to reach 7.3 metres on Thursday night. Waterfall Way is also closed between Raleigh and Bellingen, south of Coffs Harbour. The bad weather is expected to continue with up to 300mm of rain forecast for Taree, Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour on Thursday night. Supermarket shelves have been stripped bare by shoppers fearing they're next to be cut off. At Laurieton, south of Port Macquarie, where minor flooding is occurring along the Camden Haven River, the bread shelves were empty at Coles. Woolworths has closed its Kempsey supermarket and Big W stores, along with the Woolworths at Macksville following evacuations. 'These will remain closed until further notice,' a spokesman told Daily Mail Australia. But the Woolworths at Taree remains open, as Australia's biggest supermarket chain keeps all of its supermarkets open between Newcastle and Port Macquarie. 'Deliveries of essential grocery items continue to travel to most of the impacted communities along the coast,' a spokesman said. 'However, customers will find reduced product availability in our Taree and Gloucester stores due to a number of road closures. 'With a number of communities along the mid-north coast remaining on flood-watch, we're continuing to closely monitor conditions and the advice of authorities to ensure the safety of our team and customers.'
The Advertiser
22-05-2025
- Climate
- The Advertiser
More deaths possible as floods leave 'nowhere to go'
Tens of thousands of Australians are isolated as devastating floods spurred by intense rainfall have turned deadly. The discovery of the body of a 63-year-old man at Moto, south of Port Macquarie, was announced on Thursday morning as floods sweep NSW's mid-north coast. Police have also confirmed three people are missing. Some 50,000 people have been warned they could be isolated on Thursday amid dozens of emergency warnings. "We're bracing for more bad news in the next 24 hours," Premier Chris Minns told reporters on Thursday morning. "This natural disaster has been terrible for this community. "It's affected a wide number of people and tens of thousands of houses." He urged people to stop driving through floodwaters, with stranded drivers a key reason behind dozens of rescue requests to the SES. The NSW SES said it had responded to 1023 incidents, including 339 flood rescues, in the 24 hours to 5am. Many rescue requests in Taree, Glenthorne, Oxley Island and Moto remained outstanding. "We've seen continual rainfall and very fast flowing rivers, which when combined with flooded roads have made it very difficult to access some isolated people," SES Assistant Commissioner Colin Malone said. Kinne Ring, the mayor of Kempsey, where the Macleay River has overtopped a levee and is still rising, said she was concerned for residents and livestock. "There's just been a huge amount of rain in the last few days ... there's so much water around and nowhere to go," she told ABC Radio National on Thursday. Meteorologist Angus Hines said some weather stations had recorded 500 to 600mm for the week so far - "an incredible amount of rain". "Any time of year, anywhere around the country, that is going to cause significant flooding issues," he told ABC 24. The death in Moto, on the banks of the engorged Lansdowne River, was confirmed after emergency services were called to a flooded home about 3pm on Wednesday. The mid-north coast and Hunter regions have been the worst impacted by the flooding in recent days, with tens of thousands of people isolated and hundreds requiring rescuing. The deluge has spread to the Northern Rivers and Northern Tablelands as a slow-moving trough dumped rain along Australia's east coast. Falls between 200 and 300mm in the next 24 hours are likely and may lead to flash flooding, the Bureau of Meteorology warns, around the north coast communities of Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Woolgoolga, Sawtell and Dorrigo. The bureau said the trough was expected to contract southwards on Thursday afternoon. More than 130 warnings are in place, with local residents in the path of flooding urged to head to higher ground and evacuate if they can. Evacuation centres have been set up at Dungog, Gloucester, Taree, Manning Point, Wingham, Bulahdelah, Tuncurry Beach, Kempsey and Port Macquarie. Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said the Commonwealth was working with the NSW government to provide support in 16 local government areas. The Insurance Council of Australia said the flooding could be catastrophic, with significant flooding in similar areas in 2022. "We are closely monitoring the severe weather across the entire state," council chief executive Andrew Hall said. Tens of thousands of Australians are isolated as devastating floods spurred by intense rainfall have turned deadly. The discovery of the body of a 63-year-old man at Moto, south of Port Macquarie, was announced on Thursday morning as floods sweep NSW's mid-north coast. Police have also confirmed three people are missing. Some 50,000 people have been warned they could be isolated on Thursday amid dozens of emergency warnings. "We're bracing for more bad news in the next 24 hours," Premier Chris Minns told reporters on Thursday morning. "This natural disaster has been terrible for this community. "It's affected a wide number of people and tens of thousands of houses." He urged people to stop driving through floodwaters, with stranded drivers a key reason behind dozens of rescue requests to the SES. The NSW SES said it had responded to 1023 incidents, including 339 flood rescues, in the 24 hours to 5am. Many rescue requests in Taree, Glenthorne, Oxley Island and Moto remained outstanding. "We've seen continual rainfall and very fast flowing rivers, which when combined with flooded roads have made it very difficult to access some isolated people," SES Assistant Commissioner Colin Malone said. Kinne Ring, the mayor of Kempsey, where the Macleay River has overtopped a levee and is still rising, said she was concerned for residents and livestock. "There's just been a huge amount of rain in the last few days ... there's so much water around and nowhere to go," she told ABC Radio National on Thursday. Meteorologist Angus Hines said some weather stations had recorded 500 to 600mm for the week so far - "an incredible amount of rain". "Any time of year, anywhere around the country, that is going to cause significant flooding issues," he told ABC 24. The death in Moto, on the banks of the engorged Lansdowne River, was confirmed after emergency services were called to a flooded home about 3pm on Wednesday. The mid-north coast and Hunter regions have been the worst impacted by the flooding in recent days, with tens of thousands of people isolated and hundreds requiring rescuing. The deluge has spread to the Northern Rivers and Northern Tablelands as a slow-moving trough dumped rain along Australia's east coast. Falls between 200 and 300mm in the next 24 hours are likely and may lead to flash flooding, the Bureau of Meteorology warns, around the north coast communities of Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Woolgoolga, Sawtell and Dorrigo. The bureau said the trough was expected to contract southwards on Thursday afternoon. More than 130 warnings are in place, with local residents in the path of flooding urged to head to higher ground and evacuate if they can. Evacuation centres have been set up at Dungog, Gloucester, Taree, Manning Point, Wingham, Bulahdelah, Tuncurry Beach, Kempsey and Port Macquarie. Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said the Commonwealth was working with the NSW government to provide support in 16 local government areas. The Insurance Council of Australia said the flooding could be catastrophic, with significant flooding in similar areas in 2022. "We are closely monitoring the severe weather across the entire state," council chief executive Andrew Hall said. Tens of thousands of Australians are isolated as devastating floods spurred by intense rainfall have turned deadly. The discovery of the body of a 63-year-old man at Moto, south of Port Macquarie, was announced on Thursday morning as floods sweep NSW's mid-north coast. Police have also confirmed three people are missing. Some 50,000 people have been warned they could be isolated on Thursday amid dozens of emergency warnings. "We're bracing for more bad news in the next 24 hours," Premier Chris Minns told reporters on Thursday morning. "This natural disaster has been terrible for this community. "It's affected a wide number of people and tens of thousands of houses." He urged people to stop driving through floodwaters, with stranded drivers a key reason behind dozens of rescue requests to the SES. The NSW SES said it had responded to 1023 incidents, including 339 flood rescues, in the 24 hours to 5am. Many rescue requests in Taree, Glenthorne, Oxley Island and Moto remained outstanding. "We've seen continual rainfall and very fast flowing rivers, which when combined with flooded roads have made it very difficult to access some isolated people," SES Assistant Commissioner Colin Malone said. Kinne Ring, the mayor of Kempsey, where the Macleay River has overtopped a levee and is still rising, said she was concerned for residents and livestock. "There's just been a huge amount of rain in the last few days ... there's so much water around and nowhere to go," she told ABC Radio National on Thursday. Meteorologist Angus Hines said some weather stations had recorded 500 to 600mm for the week so far - "an incredible amount of rain". "Any time of year, anywhere around the country, that is going to cause significant flooding issues," he told ABC 24. The death in Moto, on the banks of the engorged Lansdowne River, was confirmed after emergency services were called to a flooded home about 3pm on Wednesday. The mid-north coast and Hunter regions have been the worst impacted by the flooding in recent days, with tens of thousands of people isolated and hundreds requiring rescuing. The deluge has spread to the Northern Rivers and Northern Tablelands as a slow-moving trough dumped rain along Australia's east coast. Falls between 200 and 300mm in the next 24 hours are likely and may lead to flash flooding, the Bureau of Meteorology warns, around the north coast communities of Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Woolgoolga, Sawtell and Dorrigo. The bureau said the trough was expected to contract southwards on Thursday afternoon. More than 130 warnings are in place, with local residents in the path of flooding urged to head to higher ground and evacuate if they can. Evacuation centres have been set up at Dungog, Gloucester, Taree, Manning Point, Wingham, Bulahdelah, Tuncurry Beach, Kempsey and Port Macquarie. Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said the Commonwealth was working with the NSW government to provide support in 16 local government areas. The Insurance Council of Australia said the flooding could be catastrophic, with significant flooding in similar areas in 2022. "We are closely monitoring the severe weather across the entire state," council chief executive Andrew Hall said. Tens of thousands of Australians are isolated as devastating floods spurred by intense rainfall have turned deadly. The discovery of the body of a 63-year-old man at Moto, south of Port Macquarie, was announced on Thursday morning as floods sweep NSW's mid-north coast. Police have also confirmed three people are missing. Some 50,000 people have been warned they could be isolated on Thursday amid dozens of emergency warnings. "We're bracing for more bad news in the next 24 hours," Premier Chris Minns told reporters on Thursday morning. "This natural disaster has been terrible for this community. "It's affected a wide number of people and tens of thousands of houses." He urged people to stop driving through floodwaters, with stranded drivers a key reason behind dozens of rescue requests to the SES. The NSW SES said it had responded to 1023 incidents, including 339 flood rescues, in the 24 hours to 5am. Many rescue requests in Taree, Glenthorne, Oxley Island and Moto remained outstanding. "We've seen continual rainfall and very fast flowing rivers, which when combined with flooded roads have made it very difficult to access some isolated people," SES Assistant Commissioner Colin Malone said. Kinne Ring, the mayor of Kempsey, where the Macleay River has overtopped a levee and is still rising, said she was concerned for residents and livestock. "There's just been a huge amount of rain in the last few days ... there's so much water around and nowhere to go," she told ABC Radio National on Thursday. Meteorologist Angus Hines said some weather stations had recorded 500 to 600mm for the week so far - "an incredible amount of rain". "Any time of year, anywhere around the country, that is going to cause significant flooding issues," he told ABC 24. The death in Moto, on the banks of the engorged Lansdowne River, was confirmed after emergency services were called to a flooded home about 3pm on Wednesday. The mid-north coast and Hunter regions have been the worst impacted by the flooding in recent days, with tens of thousands of people isolated and hundreds requiring rescuing. The deluge has spread to the Northern Rivers and Northern Tablelands as a slow-moving trough dumped rain along Australia's east coast. Falls between 200 and 300mm in the next 24 hours are likely and may lead to flash flooding, the Bureau of Meteorology warns, around the north coast communities of Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Woolgoolga, Sawtell and Dorrigo. The bureau said the trough was expected to contract southwards on Thursday afternoon. More than 130 warnings are in place, with local residents in the path of flooding urged to head to higher ground and evacuate if they can. Evacuation centres have been set up at Dungog, Gloucester, Taree, Manning Point, Wingham, Bulahdelah, Tuncurry Beach, Kempsey and Port Macquarie. Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said the Commonwealth was working with the NSW government to provide support in 16 local government areas. The Insurance Council of Australia said the flooding could be catastrophic, with significant flooding in similar areas in 2022. "We are closely monitoring the severe weather across the entire state," council chief executive Andrew Hall said.
