Latest news with #MikeWassing
SBS Australia
27-05-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Top News: Prime Minister visits flood-hit areas in New South Wales as ADF troops arrive to clear routes
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (centre) is joined by Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain(left) and SES Commissioner Mike Wassing (right) at the washed away Wingham Bridge during a visit to the flood effected region of Taree, NSW, Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Flood-ravaged communities begin a lengthy clean-up as bad weather threatens further challenges to coastal areas. Source: AAP / DEAN LEWINS/AAPIMAGE
News.com.au
27-05-2025
- Climate
- News.com.au
Almost 800 properties on Mid North Coast deemed uninhabitable by SES
Almost 800 properties have been deemed uninhabitable on the NSW Mid North Coast as the SES begins recovery efforts in the region. NSW SES spokesman Matt Heap said 794 properties – including residential, commercial and industrial buildings – had been declared uninhabitable after record-breaking floods inundated the region. 'NSW SES and interagency teams have conducted 5300 damage assessments,' Mr Heap said. 'Teams will continue working through those damage assessments, washouts and clean-out efforts over the coming days, and it is likely the number (of uninhabitable properties) will rise.' It is estimated 10,000 flood-impacted properties will need to be assessed for safety. 'This has been an incredibly challenging event for many communities, and I want to sincerely thank our NSW SES volunteers and partner agencies for their unwavering dedication and commitment in responding to this crisis,' NSW SES Commissioner Mike Wassing said. 'As we transition into the recovery phase of this operation, our priority remains on delivering essential supplies to the thousands of residents who remain isolated. 'As the water recedes, we are only now starting to see the true scale of the devastation communities are dealing with. We are carrying out rapid assessments and working with communities to wash and clean out properties where it is safe to do so, but with 10,000 properties impacted, this will take time. 'Recovery is a long process, but communities have demonstrated remarkable resilience and resourcefulness, and I have no doubt they can rebuild together.' The recovery effort is set to be hindered by damaging winds, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning that average gusts of 50 to 65km/h and peaks of about 90km/h are set to hit the Mid North Coast, Hunter, South Coast and Central Tablelands on Tuesday. Authorities have also warned that residents should be aware of looters after two men were charged after allegedly stealing from destroyed homes. Deputy Commissioner Peter Thurtell warned anyone looking to try their luck picking through property that there was an increased police presence in the area. 'We have additional police on the ground and if we find anyone taking advantage of this community, we'll throw the book at them,' Mr Thurtell said. 'The impact of this weather event has been unimaginable and to think they now have to be concerned about hanging on to whatever property they have left is a disgrace. 'Stealing from people vulnerable during hard times like these is un-Australian.' The SES has advised residents taking part in the clean-up to be cautious of floodwaters containing dangerous debris and pollutants, such as garbage, chemicals, debris, sewage, germs such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. Residents have been told to take photos of their properties before they begin cleaning for insurance claims. They have also been told to wear protective clothing when touching or cleaning flood-damaged items and to leave waste on the kerbside, separating whitegoods and mattresses from other debris.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
800 properties destroyed by floods
Almost 800 properties have been deemed uninhabitable on the NSW Mid North Coast as the SES begins recovery efforts in the region. NSW SES spokesman Matt Heap said 794 properties – including residential, commercial and industrial buildings – had been declared uninhabitable after record-breaking floods inundated the region. 'NSW SES and interagency teams have conducted 5300 damage assessments,' Mr Heap said. 'Teams will continue working through those damage assessments, washouts and clean-out efforts over the coming days, and it is likely the number (of uninhabitable properties) will rise.' It is estimated 10,000 flood-impacted properties will need to be assessed for safety. 'This has been an incredibly challenging event for many communities, and I want to sincerely thank our NSW SES volunteers and partner agencies for their unwavering dedication and commitment in responding to this crisis,' NSW SES Commissioner Mike Wassing said. 'As we transition into the recovery phase of this operation, our priority remains on delivering essential supplies to the thousands of residents who remain isolated. 'As the water recedes, we are only now starting to see the true scale of the devastation communities are dealing with. We are carrying out rapid assessments and working with communities to wash and clean out properties where it is safe to do so, but with 10,000 properties impacted, this will take time. 'Recovery is a long process, but communities have demonstrated remarkable resilience and resourcefulness, and I have no doubt they can rebuild together.' The recovery effort is set to be hindered by damaging winds, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning that average gusts of 50 to 65km/h and peaks of about 90km/h are set to hit the Mid North Coast, Hunter, South Coast and Central Tablelands on Tuesday. Authorities have also warned that residents should be aware of looters after two men were charged after allegedly stealing from destroyed homes. Deputy Commissioner Peter Thurtell warned anyone looking to try their luck picking through property that there was an increased police presence in the area. 'We have additional police on the ground and if we find anyone taking advantage of this community, we'll throw the book at them,' Mr Thurtell said. 'The impact of this weather event has been unimaginable and to think they now have to be concerned about hanging on to whatever property they have left is a disgrace. 'Stealing from people vulnerable during hard times like these is un-Australian.' The SES has advised residents taking part in the clean-up to be cautious of floodwaters containing dangerous debris and pollutants, such as garbage, chemicals, debris, sewage, germs such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. Residents have been told to take photos of their properties before they begin cleaning for insurance claims. They have also been told to wear protective clothing when touching or cleaning flood-damaged items and to leave waste on the kerbside, separating whitegoods and mattresses from other debris.
SBS Australia
25-05-2025
- Climate
- SBS Australia
Midday News Bulletin 25 May 2025
TRANSCRIPT Interstate teams deployed to help flood-hit communities in New South Wales Advocates for Stolen Generations survivors call for support ahead of National Sorry Day Matildas players help Arsenal win the Women's Champions League final Almost 200 additional emergency service teams from interstate have been deployed to help flood-hit communities in New South Wales. Recovery crews face a mammoth task to assess damage to at least 10,000 properties, as waters recede from deadly and record-breaking floods. State Emergency Service Commissioner Mike Wassing says the extra resources will be needed. "The focus is very much in terms of the assessment of the damage. We are talking in the order of 10,000 impacted properties. That is ranging from commercial right through to residential impacts, so it is significant. We do have interstate and Commonwealth support in place, but we have more coming. That will be coming from Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, New Zealand. This will supplement, particularly our cleanup operations." Gabrielle Woodhouse, from the Bureau of Meteorology, says windy conditions could complicate recovery efforts when a cold front moves through this week. "We're expecting wind speeds of generally around 30 to 50 kilometres an hour. And wind gusts up around that 60 to 80 or even 90 kilometres an hour. Now those stronger winds are going to be more likely for parts of the Blue Mountains, the Illawarra, and south along the New South Wales ranges on Tuesday. As well as part of the Northern Tablelands. Now for those flood-affected areas across the mid-north coast and Hunter. It is still going to be very windy." Stolen Generations survivors and their descendants are preparing to mark National Sorry Day tomorrow. This year is the 28th anniversary of the event, which acknowledges the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, which we now know as The Stolen Generations. Their experiences were detailed in the 'Bringing Them Home' report in 1997. Of the 54 recommendations in the report, only six per cent have been clearly implemented. Professor Steve Larkin is the chairperson of the Healing Foundation, which advocates for Stolen Generations survivors and families. He says the national day is an important focus to increase understanding of the ongoing effects of what happened, but also a reminder of the need to ensure adequate funding for Stolen Generations organisations to support the needs of families. Dr Jackie Huggins is a member of the Bidjara and Birri Gubba Juru peoples and a former co-chair of Reconciliation Australia. She says Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week draws attention to the need for more progress on improving life and health outcomes for First Nations Australians. "There hasn't been a let up in children going into care - foster homes or other care. It is also - particularly around criminal justice systems; and with our young folk in jail. So there is a continuum of what needs to be done. Housing, education, employment. The usual things that plague Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Peoples lifestyle." Only four of the 19 Closing the Gap targets are on track, with critical areas such as suicide prevention, incarceration rates and child removal worsening. The indicators show the gap in outcomes on education, health and well-being between First Nations Australians and the wider population; including dying more than eight years earlier. National Sorry Day is on Monday, the 26th of May. National Reconciliation Week runs from Tuesday, the 27th of May to Tuesday, the 3rd of June. The film 'It Was Just An Accident' by Iranian director Jafar Panahi has won the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or top prize. Mr Panahi, who has been arrested several times for his filmmaking, was last at the festival in person in 2003. 'It Was Just An Accident' follows Vahid, played by Vahid Mobasseri, who kidnaps a man with a false leg who looks just like the one who tortured him in prison and ruined his life. Mr Panahi says his time in jail influenced the film, but he himself did not experience all the stories recounted in it. "What is shown in the film is not all my own experience. It reflects the experiences of 40 years of prisoners, of those who have been imprisoned for nearly half a century in Iran." The 64-year-old was banned from making films or travelling abroad for 20 years in 2010, after he was convicted of "propaganda against the system". That sentence was recently revoked, allowing him to travel again for the first time in 15 years. In football, Matildas players Caitlin Foord, Kyra Cooney-Cross and Stephanie Catley have helped Arsenal to win the team's first women's Champions League title in 18 years. The win comes against a mighty Barcelona team considered on paper to be the best in the world. The Arsenal players stood arm-in-arm in front of their red-clad fans after the final whistle singing along to Queen's "We are the Champions". Former professional player for the US team, Becky Sauerbrunn told The Women's Game podcast, says it is an impressive achievement. "Most peoples' expectations was that Barça was going to win. I was thinking that can always work in Arsenal's favour. I think it is a different feeling when you have everything to lose and nothing to win. And those kind of expectations I think can weigh very heavily on different players - and affect them in different ways."
The Star
24-05-2025
- Climate
- The Star
Australia begins clean-up after floods kill five, damage 10,000 properties
A drone view shows a flooded area near the Hunter River in Heatherbrae, Australia, May 24, 2025. - Photo: Reuters SYDNEY: Australian authorities started clean-up efforts on Saturday (May 24) after floods claimed five lives and inundated more than 10,000 properties in the country's southeast. The New South Wales emergency services agency said damage assessments were under way in the state for the mid-north coast region after the floods that cut off towns, swept away livestock and destroyed homes this week. "Early estimates indicate at least 10,000 properties may have been damaged following record flooding," the agency said in a statement. Conditions had improved since Friday in the impacted areas of Australia's most populous state, it said. Even so, hundreds of flood-hit residents were still in evacuation centres, State Emergency Services commissioner Mike Wassing said at a media conference in Sydney, with 52 flood rescues being made overnight. A drone view shows a boat approaching a flooded shed at a stud farm near the Hunter River in Heatherbrae, Australia, May 24, 2025. - Photo: Reuters The latest flood-linked death was that of a man in his 80s, whose body was found at a flooded property about 50 km (31 miles) from Taree, one of the worst-hit towns, police said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, forced on Friday to cancel a trip to Taree due to floodwaters, said it was "awful to hear the news of more loss of life". "All of our thoughts are with his loved ones and the community at this time," Albanese said in a statement. The floods, sparked by days of incessant rain, submerged intersections and street signs in mid-north coast towns and covered cars up to their windshields, after fast-rising waters burst river banks. At their peak, the floods isolated around 50,000 people. Australia has been hit with more extreme weather events that some experts say are the result of climate change. After droughts and devastating bushfires at the end of last decade, frequent floods have wreaked havoc since early 2021. - Reuters
