New South Wales currently has eight evacuation warnings issued for its central coastal region as well as Sydney, with more heavy rain and a potential flash flooding as a second east coast low moves over the region.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) “Six-hourly rainfall totals between 70 and 120 mm are possible. Heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding is forecast for the Mid North Coast, Hunter, Sydney Metropolitan area, Illawarra, South Coast, and parts of the Tablelands”.
Towns already flooded in the east coast could be further impacted. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet who visited Lismore, said that the focus of the government is to “get people back on their feet”.
Mr Perrottet said that 2,000 homes out of 3,500 inspected have been deemed uninhabitable while asking for 5,000 Australian Defence Force troops to help with the “major” clean-up operation, some of which arrived yesterday and others set to arrive over coming days.
“There’s a presence that’s building and it’s going to be very important because this clean-up operation here is going to be substantive,” he added.
“From Lismore to Ballina to smaller towns like Coraki and Woodburn which, we have just been able to get access to yesterday.
“This is going to be a major operation to get our communities back on their feet and we’re going to put everything into it. My sole focus right now is to get this clean-up to occur, to get people back on their feet, to get people into homes, to get money into the pockets of families and businesses, and provide as much support as we can,” he said.
In Sydney, further public transport delays are set to hit, with warnings for commuters to expect delays and cancellations as trains will be on a reduced schedule and those running forced to operate at much lower speeds than normal.
So far, More than 20 tonnes of essential goods have so far been delivered by a fleet of privately owned helicopters – hired thanks to a crowdfunding campaign and funds from Mick Fanning, Chris Hemsworth and the Essential Energy state-owned corporation, among others, The Guardian reported.
At the same time, civilians and volunteers are putting in endless hours of work to help rescue people and clean up mud and debris. Many have taken to social media to complain about the ADF’s slow response to the crisis. Thousands of frustrated civilians have commented under Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Instagram post featuring images of ADF staff helping clear out debris, calling the post “a staged photo op”.
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