MOTHER Nature left many in the lurch last week, when days of heavy rain brought down power lines and cut off arterial roads across the Hunter.
The worst of the weather hit on Sunday, 27 April.
A multi-agency rescue operation, including Tea Gardens Fire & Rescue and local SES crews, saved 11 people, as well as animals.
They had been trapped in numerous houses surrounded by floodwaters at Emu Creek, south of Bulahdelah.
Minor to moderate riverine rises were recorded in the Mid North Coast and Hunter regions, as up to 150mm of rain fell in 24 hours in some areas, according to the SES.
Flash flooding also impacted some local roads and isolated communities intermittently throughout Sunday.
Both Pindimar and North Arm Cove suffered flooding over their respective lone roads in and out, and downed power lines in Pindimar caused more serious dangers.
“While we are expecting river rises to slowly subside, a number of warnings remain current for the Mid North Coast and Hunter regions due to the impacts of flooding,” NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Dean Storey said.
“Our teams were busy across the weekend responding to calls for assistance from the community, and we’re glad the majority headed our advice to not drive through floodwaters.
“However, some people are still taking the risk, and I want to remind people it is not safe to drive through floodwaters and they should stop and find an alternative route.”
Underscoring the SES’s message, the majority of flood rescues reported were for people trapped in vehicles after driving into floodwater.
Assistant Commissioner Storey encouraged the community to stay across the latest warnings and information by downloading the Hazards Near Me app or visiting the NSW SES website.
Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) is throwing open its doors for its annual Open Day on Saturday, 10 May, and is also urging the community to “be fire safe”.
Tea Gardens Fire Station will be open from 10am to 2pm with a range of free activities including firefighting demonstrations, station tours and safety presentations.
By Thomas O’KEEFE
