NSW Flooding Worst In More Than A Century; 2,500 Emergency Workers Can't Keep Up With Water Rescue Calls
The body of a 60-year-old woman has been found in flood waters on the NSW mid-north coast, bringing the death toll to three, with authorities still holding grave fears for another person who is still missing. The region is battling flooding which has “smashed through” communities on the mid-north coast and parts of the Hunter. The NSW premier, Chris Minns, told reporters on Thursday “we’re seeing levels of rise in local tributaries, creeks [and] rivers that we haven’t seen since 1920”. “Many people would have never seen this level of inundation or flooding in their communities,” Minns said.
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Although there were thousands of emergency service workers in the field, Minns said “the number of houses that have been inundated and the number of communities that have been isolated, far exceed the amount of boats, the amount of helicopters, amount of trucks that any government can provide”. There were 2,500 personnel, including 2,200 SES workers, in the field, the NSW emergency services minister, Jihad Dib, said.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Steve Bernasconi on Thursday afternoon said dangerous flooding would continue, with the mid-north coast experiencing intense rainfall for the third consecutive day. Heavy rainfall was expected around the southern Hunter, Blue Mountains and Southern Highlands later on Thursday.
“There is a reprieve from the rainfall, though, for the mid-north coast sometime tomorrow as the system does contract south towards the Victorian border on Friday,” Bernasconi said. “That does not mean that the flood risk for this area is abating at the same rate with possible rises from the rainfall and downstream flooding [are] still being measured and being experienced.” The SES said on Thursday afternoon there were 149 active warnings, including 37 emergency warnings, and 48,000 people were isolated by flood waters. The SES said there had been 600 flood rescues and more than 4,600 calls for assistance. Emergency workers were continuing to assist people trapped by flood waters in Glenthorne, with helicopters, boats, and ground crews deployed.
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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/may/22/nsw-floods-thousands-stranded-in-mid-north-coast-with-more-heavy-rain-to-come