Wilsons River in Lismore reached a record height of 14.4 meters in February, flooding homes and leaving more than 1,000 people homeless. A month later, it again reached a major flood.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast rain and storms for eastern New South Wales on Saturday, including Sydney, where the storm is expected to bring heavy downpours and flooding.
Lightning strikes on Wednesday.credit:Weatherzone.com.au
The bureau has also issued a flood warning for Sydney’s Hawkesbury, Nepean and Cola rivers, which have also experienced two major floods this year.
As of Saturday morning, the NSW State Emergency Service had issued 98 flood warnings across the state, including 15 “emergency” warnings and 36 “watch and act”.
Far-flung areas of NSW are expected to receive the heaviest of the latest wet weather over the weekend.
NSW Emergency Services Minister Steph Cook, SES Commissioner Carleen York and Bureau of Meteorology Jane Golding will address the media on Saturday afternoon.
On Friday night in the north of the state, where part of Mora was evacuated after the flood, the State Emergency Service said about 4,000 residents were affected.
A second, higher flood peak is expected on Sunday morning, when the Gwydir and Mehi rivers are likely to merge in the northern NSW town, the State Emergency Service said in a letter to residents on Saturday morning.
Monitoring of the Mekha River at 5:30 a.m. Saturday showed it was rising in the city, although it rose and fell differently in different places. Ahead of rains forecast over the weekend and into next week, nearby Kopetan Dam is being released.
A woman with a pre-existing medical condition was airlifted to hospital in Tamworth late on Friday by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter after she was isolated by floodwater at a property in Narrabri.
The same helicopter was called to a Northern Tablelands farm west of Glen Innes on Friday after a man trying to steer a tractor through floodwater ran aground when the engine died.
Bystanders dragged him about 200 meters to land before he was treated by paramedics for exposure and hypothermia.
In Victoria, flash flooding hit Geelong as overnight storms rumbled across the state to Melbourne and delayed a major spring racing carnival event, while towns in northern Victoria remained on high alert as flood waters continued to rise.
from AAP
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