Latest news with #SueMcGinn
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Australia's deadliest floods in years kill 4, leave 50,000 stranded in crisis
Australia is facing one of its most devastating flood crises in decades. In New South Wales, relentless torrential rains have submerged entire towns. The disaster has resulted in at least four confirmed deaths, with one person still missing. The latest death was a man in his 70s who was found deceased in a submerged car north-west of Coffs Harbour this morning. Approximately 50,000 residents are isolated due to road closures and power outages. Emergency services have conducted over 670 rescues, many involving individuals who attempted to drive through floodwaters. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Edema? Do this before doing anything else: Medene Learn More Undo Approximately 2,500 emergency workers, including 2,200 NSW SES volunteers and professionals, have been deployed to the affected regions. They are supported by over 500 vehicles and boats, 13 helicopters, and hundreds of drones. Also Read: Manning River breaks 1929 flood record Live Events Power outages and infrastructure damage Power outages continue to affect thousands of people, particularly in the Mid North Coast region. Essential Energy, a state-owned electricity infrastructure company, has reported that the worst-affected areas are around Taree, where falling vegetation and rising floodwaters have damaged powerlines. As of 6:00 AM(Local time) on Friday, May 23, 2025, Essential Energy reports that over 5,720 homes and businesses remain without power across the Mid North Coast. Crews work tirelessly to restore electricity, but progress is hindered by hazardous conditions such as fallen trees, floodwaters, and limited access to affected areas. In many areas, helicopters and drones are being deployed to assess and repair damage in hard-to-reach locations. Hundreds of roads are also closed or experiencing changed conditions due to the impact on traffic across affected areas. The Warragamba Dam, Sydney's primary water source, is at 96% capacity, raising concerns about potential spills in the coming days Dairy stocks and livestock losses In Barrington, dairy farmer James McRae reported that entire herds were swept away as the river burst its banks, leaving families with nothing. Similarly, in the Lower Macleay region, Sue McGinn described the situation as an animal welfare crisis, with her 200 cows enduring harsh conditions and limited access to food. Floodwaters have inundated farms, destroying feed supplies and damaging infrastructure. The full economic impact is still being assessed, but early estimates suggest millions of dollars in damages. Rescues and warnings Over 670 flood rescues have been carried out since the event began, including 177 in the 24 hours leading up to 5 am this morning. More than 150 flood warnings are active across NSW, with 40 at critical emergency level, prompting urgent "shelter in place or evacuate" orders from the NSW State Emergency Service (SES). Government action Both the Australian federal and New South Wales (NSW) state governments have mounted a substantial and coordinated response to the ongoing flood crisis, prioritizing immediate life-saving operations and laying the groundwork for recovery. Beyond the immediate crisis, comprehensive financial and practical assistance is being rolled out. The declaration of a natural disaster has unlocked federal and state grants, including the Disaster Recovery Allowance for income support in four severely impacted local government areas, with claims opening on Monday. Prime Minister Anthony noted that the federal disaster recovery allowance payment had been activated, giving support to people in affected areas, with 16 local government areas where disaster assistance has been triggered. Joint government funding is also available for emergency accommodation, essential items, grants for uninsured residents, and loans for businesses and farmers to aid in their recovery. High-level leadership, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns, is planning to visit the flood zones to assess damage firsthand and express solidarity with affected communities. However, they are unable to reach Taree as of now due to a flood-cut road. What's next? The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has warned that heavy downpours, potentially bringing up to 160mm of rain, will extend south through NSW today. While the hardest-hit Mid North Coast and Hunter regions may see some reprieve from the heaviest falls, river systems remain dangerously high, and the threat of flash flooding looms over areas further south, including Sydney. Experts widely agree that climate change is intensifying extreme rainfall events, making floods more frequent and severe in Australia. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said, 'Every weather event can't be traced down specifically to climate change, because there's always been extreme weather events in Australia. But what you can say is … the science told us they'd be more frequent and more intense and that's precisely what is happening, which is why my government are taking it so seriously.' While the heaviest rain may ease in some areas, river levels will remain high for days, and communities will continue to be isolated. Emergency services will remain on high alert for further rescues and to provide essential supplies. Once floodwaters recede, the immediate focus will shift to assessing the full extent of damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure (roads, bridges, power lines), and agricultural land. This will be followed by massive clean-up operations. The rebuilding process will be a significant undertaking, likely taking months, if not years, in some severely hit areas.
ABC News
21-05-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Dairy farmers devastated by floods across parts of New South Wales
Record-breaking floods along the NSW Mid North Coast and Hunter regions have left dairy farmers isolated, with stock losses and terrible conditions for their cows. Flood heights are at record levels in many areas of the region, with Wingham, Taree and Croki the hardest hit so far. The area has received about five times its monthly rainfall to create a new annual rainfall record. Tragically for farmers and the animals, livestock have been washed into floodwater. A handful of black Angus cattle emerged on Old Bar Beach, just south of the ocean entrance to the Manning River on the Mid North Coast. Another lone animal emerged from the dunes into Ingenia Holiday Parks Old Bar Beach on Wednesday morning. "They are washing out of the Farquhar Inlet, down the Manning River, which leads out to the ocean," Mr Halloran said. "Several locals are around, trying to catch the others in the public park area." At Belmore River on the Mid North Coast, dairy farmer Sue McGinn described conditions as "diabolical". Ms McGinn said farmers across a large area needed help. She said she and her husband had been struggling since March when ex-Cyclone Alfred dropped significant rain on their property. Then they were hit by a "rain bomb" that dumped 200mm of rain in the middle of the night on May 3. Dealing with the mud, constant feeding and caring for cows, animal rescues and now a flooded house has worn them down. "We are absolutely physically exhausted," Ms McGinn said. "We feel like we're wrecking our cows, we're wrecking our farm, we're wrecking our plant and machinery and we're wrecking ourselves. "We've milked here for 31 years and we've been through the 2022 flood and I thought that was a catastrophe but this is like nothing else." Ms McGinn said the feed situation would worsen over the next two months of winter. Barrington dairy farmer James McRae agreed. "We are going to lose quite a lot of pasture this year and if it stays wet it's going to be really hard to get that pasture re-sown before the cold weather," he said. "We're looking [at] a tight feed spot for the next six months or so, which is not so good with the current hay situation with the drought down south." Ms McGinn has been contacting farm groups and government agencies to advocate for support. "God help everybody that's impacted by this, my only hope is that the government understands how much pain we're in," she said. Fifth-generation dairy farmer Craig Emerton and his wife Debbie said they were isolated on their property at Croki. Mr Emerton said they were in dire straits with water up to their knees in the house, little remaining food and no way out. "We lifted all our major furniture up in preparation but the water's come up three times higher than what we've ever experienced." The state and federal governments announced relief for 16 local government areas in the Hunter and Mid North Coast under the NSW Government's Natural Disaster Declaration and the Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. Assistance includes freight subsidies for primary producers to help transport livestock and fodder and concessional rate loans. More than 270 millimetres of rain fell in the Barrington Tops in 24 hours and farmers were reporting damage worth more than $100,000. Barrington dairy farmer James McRae hoped the government would make cash grants available, which happened after significant flooding in 2021. Any sightings of displaced livestock should be reported to the Agricultural and Animal Services Hotline on 1800 814 647.
