Latest news with #Wingham
ABC News
4 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Flood-affected NSW communities help themselves in wake of devastation
On a whiteboard in a church on the NSW Mid North Coast, Lauren Davies is constantly updating a "needs list". Ms Davies has been taking stock of donated clothes, supplies and food, and calling out for items the community-run recovery centre needs since flooding ravaged her town of Wingham. The list has included electric frypans, white vinegar, fresh fruit, antiseptic and pillows. "It's like putting it out into the universe," she said. "I turn around and say we really need this … and within five to 10 minutes, someone's got it, here it is. "It's just manifested." The community-led recovery centre has been bustling with adults and children picking up clothes, supplies and a meal, and finding a shoulder to lean on. And there has been no shortage of volunteers. "We have little old ladies that are in their 80s and 90s, coming in with cups of soups," Ms Davies said. "The community here have been amazing even though they're affected, just like I am. It has come after almost 800 properties were declared uninhabitable this week. "We had a lady come in … [she] was telling us that every part of her house was taken out," Ms Davies said. "There's nothing left, she's bare bones, no gyprock, no electrical, no nothing. "But she's smiling and saying, 'I'm OK, I'm alive'." Hundreds of people were expected to spend Saturday cleaning up in Taree, adding to the efforts already seen across the flood-ravaged region. The "Mud Muster", a major volunteer mobilisation project being coordinated out of the Taree SES headquarters, has been led by locals. Other initiatives have also started across the wider region to help towns recover. More than 600 volunteers on the Mid North Coast joined a community flood response group to help wash out homes. On Port Macquarie's North Shore, a community barbecue was set up to provide a place of respite for emergency service crews and residents amid sweeping mud and relocating drenched furniture. More than 200 homes in the suburb — which was isolated for five days with no power — were damaged by floodwater. Volunteer Talia Kelly spent the start of the weather event sandbagging homes and businesses before setting up the recovery barbecue out of her own pocket. "You don't realise how good you've got it to be able to go home to a safe place," she said. "Some of these guys don't have a safe place, nowhere to eat, nowhere to shower. "We just hope that it gives some people some hope to be able to get their feet back on the ground." Elvira Paima, who moved to the North Shore last year, lost some belongings in the floods. "It was very stressful but I'm feeling much calmer now," she said. "We are helping each other. We leave our house and then help another neighbour … because it helps us to also help someone else." Volunteer Amanda Harte said the simple gesture had gone a long way. "The damage here is absolutely devastating, it's something you probably can't even believe from pictures," Ms Harte said. "Something as simple as just giving them a sausage sandwich, or a drink, or just lending an ear … it's pretty important." Further south in Taree, food has remained a unifier during difficult times. Rotating groups of Sikh volunteers from Melbourne made the more than 1,100-kilometre journey to Taree with a food truck and vans to make and deliver food. The group has made up to 2,000 meals a day, which not-for-profit Sikh Volunteers Australia chief executive Jaswinder Singh said were delivered across the Mid North Coast. "That is one thing less to worry about for them," he said. The volunteer teams plan to stay as long as required. "It could be a month … we don't know yet," Mr Singh said. "As long as the demand is there, we will stay." Kimbriki resident Tanya Ternovy picked up a meal from the Sikhs on her way home after the floods. "To come all the way from Melbourne and to bring their beautiful food, it's just so kind," she said. Ms Ternovy said the generosity of the volunteers was appreciated as the region faced immeasurable loss. "It's just time enough now that the power's just come back on, and we can get across the bridges," she said. "Driving through Taree, you can see so much loss, all dumped on the side of the road." Mr Singh said he had witnessed "horrible scenes and stories" from people who had lost everything. But he said many hands were coming together to help. "Volunteers from all across the region are coming and supporting each other," he said. "People are not just thinking about themselves. They are thinking about their neighbours and the whole street.
ABC News
5 days ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Watch and Act - Wingham and surrounds flooding - Do not enter floodwater
The NSW SES advises people in the following area(s) NOT TO ENTER FLOODWATER due to current minor flooding: Wingham and surrounds You should monitor the situation as it is constantly changing. Avoid floodwater for your safety.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
‘All sorts of bacteria': floods have dumped a year's worth of landfill on some NSW towns. Where will it go?
In a large field by the Taree greyhound track stands a huge pile of waterlogged and mud-caked waste, pulled from houses and businesses inundated by last week's massive floods. Among the mound are couches, fridges and piles and piles of broken furniture. The heap represents the heartache and damage of the floods – people's treasured possessions, and equipment they used to make their livelihoods. But it also presents a logistical challenge for the community: what to do with thousands of tonnes of ruined furniture, broken electricals, silt-filled kitchen units and sodden, mould-breeding carpet? By the time the cleanup is done, an estimated 60,000 tonnes of waste generated by the floods will end up in landfill, says Paul De Szell, liveable communities director for MidCoast council, which includes Taree, Wingham and other flood-affected communities. For context, De Szell says, the amount sent to landfill each year for the entire council area – which covers many communities not hit by the recent floods – is 50,000-60,000 tonnes. 'If you put a year of landfill in one month, the system doesn't function.' This is where the giant pile of waste at the Taree greyhound track comes in. It is one of several temporary transfer stations set up to get flood waste off the streets, where residents are leaving it for kerbside collection, and away from residential areas altogether. The waste is moved from the temporary stations by the NSW Public Works department to a larger site. There, the waste is sorted to recover and recycle as much as possible, and then moved out of the MidCoast local government area and put into landfill in surrounding areas. In the first five days of recovery, about 18,000 cubic metres of flood debris were transported to landfills and temporary waste storage sites, according to the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA). 'NSW Public Works are looking after the large main site, they'll take it out of the area at no cost to MidCoast council. We couldn't handle the sheer volume of waste in the area,' says David Rees, manager of waste services for the council. This waste management plan, developed after the 2021 floods, was put into action last week. As soon as the flood waters subsided, the council sent out nearly 70 heavy vehicles – excavators, bobcats, compact trucks and bogie tippers (dump trucks) – to collect waste left out on the kerbs in flood-hit towns. 'The main purpose is human health – to get stuff away from people's properties, that has a huge impact on their mental health too,' says Rees. 'We've already got the bulk of waste out of the Taree CBD and we'll continue to do laps there to make sure it's clear.' 'We've collected a lot of waste over the last week,' says De Szell. 'We've focused on CBD areas in Taree and Wingham, those are essentially cleared and residential waste in Wingham is essentially cleared. 'But we go in a cycle: we know people will have to remove linings in buildings, carpets that will be wet and are going to have mould – we'll go back to make sure every last bit of waste as a result of this flood is removed.' While De Szell says it is likely to take months to remove all the waste, getting material out and away from homes as soon as possible is more urgent. Authorities are 'very conscious of the social impact and the psychological impact,' he says, as well as physical risks. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email '[The waste] is wet, it starts to smell. There's all sorts of bacteria that exists in that flood waste so it's very important to get that waste off the ground as soon as possible.' The EPA says one of its key priorities is the disposal of animal carcasses – 1,200 of which have been reported to the Animal and Agriculture hotline so far, with that number expected to grow significantly. The EPA says it is working closely with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to identify disposal sites. Another of the challenges the waste management team faces is the volume of silt and mud swept into properties by the flood. De Szell says his team is still in discussions with the state government to figure out what to do with it. 'Our focus at the moment is taking material cleared out of houses so they can become habitable again. 'We don't want to have an even greater housing crisis than we already have on the mid-coast. We want to have the houses cleared out, washed out, made safe so people can rebuild their lives.'
News.com.au
22-05-2025
- Climate
- News.com.au
Aussie dad with terminal cancer saves his true love from record floods
Footage of a dad saving his mowers by driving them through floodwaters has captured the heart of Aussies everywhere, as the weather event continues to wreak havoc across the nation. Craig Hawley – better known as Pappy Haych – was quick to save his lawn gear once floodwaters rapidly rose on Wednesday on the NSW Mid North Coast. Wife Annie captured the epic footage from the couple's home in Wingham, posting it to her salon's social media page. Hilariously, Annie also put the song 'When a Man Loves a Woman' on the video. 'We hope everyone on our Mid North Coast are safe and okay,' she wrote. 'We are feeling very devastated for our neighbouring businesses in Wingham. We are more than willing to lend a hand in any way we possibly can. 'The Salon will remain closed until further notice. Fortunately, we are okay. So are my husband's mowers!' Commenters on the post were quick to praise Pappy's dedication to saving his mowers. 'God's country. That area locals are survivors, get through anything,' one said. Another wrote: 'Bloody bless Australia mate! What a legend!' Speaking to wife Annie said the water came up in about two hours, and didn't stop for 24 hours. She said there was luckily 'no damage' to the mowers. 'Both still go. He's pretty anal about his gear!' Annie said. The couple have five adult kids and is about to have their seventh grandchild. Annie said they moved to Wingham 12 months ago after becoming empty nesters. Sadly, seven weeks after moving to Wingham, the couple found out Pappy had an aggressive brain tumour. With a terminal diagnosis, the couple decided to stay and travel around Australia with the time they have. Medics say he has between two to four months to live. 'We almost went back to family, but decided to stay,' Annie said. 'So, the mowers safety didn't keep him down yesterday!' The couple recently travelled to Uluru after friends started a GoFundMe. 'Makes us happy we started having kids young, so we could have some incredible bonding years with our grandkids too,' Annie said.
ABC News
22-05-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Residents take stock of flood damage
More than 100 emergency warnings have been issued as floodwaters inundate towns on the NSW Mid North Coast, leaving thousands of residents isolated by power cuts and road closures. Many residents and business owners are taking stock of the damage from record flooding in the region as rainfall continues. Rod Snow has returned to his butcher shop in a Wingham shopping centre to find floodwaters about a metre high have receded, leaving a muddy mess behind. He spoke with ABC NewsRadio's Sarah Morice.
