Noah, Start Your Engines!

by Rikx | May 24, 2009 at 08:05 pm

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Thousands still isolated in NSW flood clean-up

Yamba Residents wade through water over the road to Palmers Island village after heavy rain hammered northern New South Wales (User submitted: Roland Porath)

Thousands of people are still isolated in villages along the New South Wales mid north coast, as the clean-up continues from widespread flooding.

Cut-off townships including Smithtown, Gladstone, Hat Head and South West Rocks are being re-supplied today with food and medical supplies.

A flood warning is current for the Macleay river but levels are falling.

Further north, residents from Cabbage Tree Island have been told they may be able to return to their homes later tonight.

SES volunteers helped 80 people move to an evacuation centre in Ballina before floodwaters inundated low-lying areas at high tide.

Meanwhile, Country Energy says out of 21,000 north coast properties that lost power during the storms, there are now only 100 left.

Regional manager Richard Wake says conditions have now improved, making it easier for repair crews.

"The majority should be back on by lunch time. We don't know of any other faults, we're working on everything we know about at the moment," he said.

Highway closed

The Pacific highway is still closed in several places.

It is shut from just south of Ballina to just north of Grafton as well as at Clybucca, Kempsey and South Kempsey.

The Roads and Traffic Authority says the road will probably stay closed near Kempsey for at least another day.

It is advising motorists travelling between Sydney and Brisbane to use the New England highway.

Recovery effort

The former New South Wales Police Commissioner Ken Moroney has been appointed to lead the recovery effort, and is visiting flood-ravaged towns.

Mr Moroney says he will go to Lismore, Ballina, Grafton, Coffs Harbour and Casino to get an assessment of the situation.

"It'll be about talking to mayors, and local emergency services responders as to how they are in fact responding. my entire job as I see it is about the recovery process, " he said.

The New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees says it is too soon to say how much the flood clean up will cost.

"A ball park figure I think would be in the order of tens of millions at this stage but it's far too early to tell until the waters have receded," he said.

Tags: disasters-and-accidents, floods, weather, australia, nsw, ballina-2478, kempsey-2440

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