Korora

John Petersen

COMMUNITIES in the Northern Rivers and mid-North Coast areas of New South Wales are still experiencing flooding as rainfall continues to ease across the regions.

More than 400 SES volunteers continue to respond to requests for assistance from communities experiencing severe weather and flood conditions.

About 2300 requests for assistance have been registered by the SES since last Tuesday (May 16) with 75% of these tasks having been completed. 

New South Wales severe weather warning

A low pressure trough in the Coral Sea will weaken further during the next 12 to 24 hours.

Very large ocean waves and swell are occurring along the coast between the Queensland border and about Port Macquarie. These waves are producing very dangerous surf conditions and beach erosion, particularly around high tide time. The next high tide is around 7.30am. Inundation of low lying areas is possible.

Conditions will gradually ease through the day.

Flood Warnings remain current for the Richmond/Wilsons, Clarence, Bellinger, Macleay, Hastings, Manning, Orara and Nambucca Rivers.

Surf Life Saving Australia recommends people stay out of the water and well away from surf-exposed areas.

Queensland weather severe weather warning

Very large and extremely dangerous waves will continue to occur between Sandy Cape on Fraser Island and Point Danger. Winds have weakened below gale force strength for coastal regions south of Double Island Point, but continue offshore north of Cape Moreton.

Wave driven sea flooding of exposed beaches is expected to produce dangerous conditions and continuing beach erosion throughout the warning area. Inundation of low lying areas within canal and protected waters may also occur as sea levels rise above the highest tide of the year during this evening. 

Flood update

Floods in NSW have claimed the life of an elderly man as gale force winds pound coastal areas north of the Queensland border still reeling from their earlier battering.

The flooding in northern NSW has isolated 21,500 people and authorities have warned thousands to evacuate.

The body of a 70-year-old local man was found near his submerged car south of Coffs Harbour.

Police were alerted to the submerged vehicle in floodwaters on South Arm Road, Raleigh, about 5.15pm (AEST) on Friday.

Several attempts were made to reach the silver-coloured Toyota Hilux before officers finally reached it shortly after midnight, police said.

The man's death was the second in this week's storms. Gold Coast man Mark Bayliss was killed on Wednesday when struck by glass and a piece of flying metal.

Early on Saturday the Macleay River levee at Kempsey was broken, inundating much of the town.

State Emergency Service (SES) crews were expecting floodwaters of up to two metres to swamp the town centre after the river peaked about midday on Saturday.

Water began spilling over the Kempsey levees about 5.35am (AEST) and there was no let up in the heavy rain throughout the day.

"The main levee has overtopped and water is now getting in there, well and truly," a SES spokesman told AAP.

The far north coast town of Yamba was on high alert as residents prepared for flooding on Saturday night.

The SES has received more than 2,000 calls for assistance and the NSW government disaster declaration has been extended to areas on the mid-north coast.

Kempsey, Coffs Harbour, Bellingen, Nambucca and the Port Macquarie-Hastings areas had been declared disaster zones, adding to Friday's declarations for the Tweed, Byron, Ballina, Lismore, Kyogle, Richmond Valley and Clarence Valley areas.

NSW Emergency Services Minister Steve Whan said evacuation orders had been issued for the Kempsey CBD, Smithtown, Gladstone, Kinchela and Jerseyville.

Evacuated Grafton residents may have been granted a reprieve after peak river levels did not result in forecast flooding.

In southeast Queensland, residents stayed well away from coastal areas, as gale force winds, abnormally high tides and huge swells lashed the coast.

Queensland Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said residents in low-lying and exposed areas near the coast, particularly in caravan parks, needed to be alert and exercise extreme caution.

Residents were being asked to tie down or store away any loose outside furniture to avoid it being blown away.

There had been reports of furniture being blown down from high rises onto footpaths and roads, he said.

"It is also important that people stay away from inundated areas with abnormally high tides expected tonight on the Gold and Sunshine coasts," he said.

"We strongly urge people not to walk, drive or ride through inundated areas and to especially keep children away from the water."

All beaches are closed and there are fears that Saturday's high tide at 7.21pm (AEST) on the Sunshine Coast and 7.32pm on the Gold Coast will cause tidal surges and wave-driven sea flooding

Erosion is occurring and dangerous sand cliffs have formed on the beaches.

Authorities have asked campers to leave Fraser Island and residents from foreshore caravans on the Sunshine Coast have been evacuated due to fears that mobile homes might be flooded.

Brisbane City Council has urged the city's foreshore residents and those near Norman, Breakfast and Bulimba, Perrin, Kedron Brook, Bald Hills and South Pine creeks to sand bag their homes against possible flooding, as the result of the storm-surge and high tide.

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Jonty Hall said the winds would peak on Saturday night and gradually easy on Sunday.

He said the flood threat for Queensland had diminished.

The storm surge has further hampered clean-up efforts from the torrential rain and flooding on earlier this week.

How is the wild weather affecting you? Send us photos via email at editorial@finda.com.au.

• Contributed flood photos from readers.
• View a gallery of flood images from across south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales.
• For more images of floods around the Sunshine Coast, visit The Sunshine Coast Daily's flood gallery 1 and flood gallery 2.
• See photos of Grafton as evacuation is ordered.
• View flood photos from the first deluge in south-east Queensland.

Read more...

NSW extends disaster zone
All beaches closed
View readers' flood photos
Man found dead in flood waters
Nth NSW in for more wet weather
Time to get out
SES order Lismore flood evacuation
Squalls blackout whole region
Families evacuated, regions cut off
NSW flood information centre set up
Wild seas lash coast
Mass evacuations forced in Tweed
Rain and floods force evacuations
Bligh declares SEQ flood disaster
Northern NSW prepares for floods
More wet weather to come for the Sunshine Coast
Person caught in flood waters
Flood water closes Bruce Highway
Qld, NSW in for a drenching: BOM

Emergency resources and weather updates:

• Check out the Bureau of Meteorology's live radar image.
• New South Wales SES news updates.
• Queensland SES news updates.
• Road closure information can be found on the Road and Traffic Authority, NSW (RTA) website and RACQ website.
• For emergency assistance in floods and storms, contact the SES on 132 500. For life-threatening emergencies call 000.
• The Public Information and Inquiry Centre is open to provide information regarding displaced families, road closures, welfare assistance and all other general inquiries. They can be contacted on 1800 227 228.