‘A tragedy unfolding in front of our eyes’: Estimated 400 still trapped in Lismore flood | HeathGilmore BillieEder sarah_keoghan
The Queensland flood death toll currently stands at eight
Orders have also been issued for residents to evacuate downstream of nearby Rocky Creek Dam, with the spillway now open. Safety engineers have been inspecting the dam, the main drinking water supply 20 kilometres north of Lismore. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has urged the 14,000 people under evacuation warnings across northern NSW to start preparing urgently.should “begin preparing and planning for evacuation in these areas where there is an evacuation warning in place”.Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience Stephanie Cooke said the flooding that Lismore and surrounding areas were experiencing “is a natural disaster of unprecedented proportions”.
“For the safety of YOU and your FAMILY please evacuate the township NOW!” the Richmond police district said on its social media pages. The floods in the region were “unprecedented”, the weather bureau’s senior meteorologist Jackson Browne said, with rainfall on Monday breaking the town’s weather records.
“It’s just a massive amount of water that’s just come through,” he said. “There’s nothing in the record books like it.” Another person posted that a family needed help in South Lismore. “They’re on their roof gable with two little girls and dog. They are running out of roof very fast.” “The situation in Lismore and surrounds is extremely dangerous and rapidly evolving. NSW SES continues to receive requests from residents to assist with evacuations.”