More than 6,000 personnel are on the ground in the flood-impacted Hunter and Mid North Coast regions, performing impact assessments, clean-ups, road repairs and other recovery works.
Workers and volunteers from across the New South Wales Government, interstate and overseas are on the ground in impacted communities, and teams continue to be deployed to assist with early recovery.
The New South Wales Government teams include 2,220 State Emergency Service volunteers assisting with recovery efforts, with 350 people supporting from the Rural Fire Service, and around 250 people from Fire and Rescue NSW.
There are also 650 staff and contractors from Transport for NSW, working across the road and transport network to restore access to roads.
Crews have already removed more than 1,500 tonnes of debris from the state road network. So far around 5,500 pothole repairs have been completed including on major roads like the Pacific, Oxley, Gwydir and New England Highways.
More than 20 NSW Maritime staff are also working tirelessly, undertaking 63 urgent taskings ranging from evacuations, transfers and assessment of hazards, and carrying out 420 impact assessments of navigational aids on waterways that have been damaged or displaced on the Manning, Hasting and Camden Haven Rivers.
An additional 24 police have been sent to the region to bolster community confidence, including conducting proactive patrols to deter looting.
In addition to the 4,000-plus NSW Government staff and volunteers, there are also around 2,000 people from councils, electricity companies, telco companies and spontaneous volunteers supporting the recovery effort in impacted areas.
Importantly, the SES is coordinating these teams of community volunteers to ensure the goodwill and hard work makes the maximum impact with clean-up activities.
So far, more than 10,000 cubic metres of waste has been removed from impacted areas.
An additional 76 interstate personnel arrived yesterday from emergency services agencies across the country, bringing the total current interstate support numbers to over 230. In addition, a contingent has arrived from New Zealand.
Around seventy personnel from the Australian Defence Force are in the field, bolstering recovery efforts even further.
So far, at least 8,406 damage assessments have been carried out. Of these, 1,065 buildings have been deemed as currently uninhabitable, including 632 residential buildings. This also includes around 152 commercial and industrial properties and more than 253 outbuildings (sheds etc). Repairs will likely bring a portion of these properties back to an inhabitable state.
At least thirty homes have been assessed as having been destroyed.
While these assessments are progressing, it is important to remember there are around 10,000 properties that need to be assessed for safety, including homes, businesses and other infrastructure. Seven communities, or around 9,000 people, are still isolated, which will delay some assessments.
Residents are asked to remain patient and await advice from NSW SES that it is safe to return before heading home.
Returning home to flood impacted properties can pose a number of health and safety risks.
Floodwater and mud can contain objects and pollutants that are harmful, including garbage, chemicals, debris, sewage, germs such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. NSW Health has important advice about safe household clean up after a flood on its website.
When people return home, they should:
- Take pictures of their properties, before they start cleaning, to assist with insurance claims
- Leave waste on the kerbside, separating white goods and mattresses from other flood debris
- Wear protective clothing when cleaning or touching flood-damaged items or material
- Contact the Environmental Protection Agency on 131 555 for advice if there is any risk that waste contains biological or chemical hazards, or asbestos contamination
Once items are out for collection, clean-up teams can begin washing out your property.
New South Wales Minister for Recovery, Janelle Saffin, said that this is a huge effort from emergency services and volunteers, from within these communities, across the state and from around Australia.
“Thank you to the local community members who step up in these times, and everyone who is on the ground, in the mud and cleaning up, and thank you to those people helping co-ordinate the early recovery efforts to make sure the hard work is collaborative and effective,” Saffin said.
“There are thousands of people on the ground, who have sprung into action to help people in need, and there are more to come.
“We are working on the clean-up as quickly as we can, but we know that is just one step in the recovery journey for these communities, but it’s a step we are committed to working on as swiftly and effectively as possible.”
New South Wales Minister for Emergency Services, Jihad Dib, said that the response to these floods has been led by NSW SES volunteers, but all emergency service personnel have been assisting in partnership with local communities.
“This has been a mammoth effort with help arriving from across the state, across the country, and from across the Tasman,” Dib said.
“Although we can’t control the weather, we have been able to control the way we’ve responded to the impact of the floods.
“The work of teams on the ground, cleaning up and rebuilding lives, is inspiring. These are people who leave their families and put themselves in harm’s way for the good of the community.
“Amidst tragedy our volunteers inspire us. They represent the best of us. They stand with these communities as we will stand with them for the long recovery ahead.”
New South Wales Minister for Roads and Regional Transport, Jenny Aitchison, thanked the Transport for NSW crews who have been working day and night to get roads moving again.
“As the recovery continues, I want to remind our community to never drive through flood waters and comply with directions as work to restore road access takes place.”
