NSW: Isolation could end, but storms on horizon, says SES
04 Apr 2009 10:08 AM
SYDNEY, April 4 AAP - People isolated by flooding in northern NSW could soon be reconnected with surrounding areas, with easing rain allowing rivers to subside, the State Emergency Service (SES) says.
But the northern rivers area is not out of trouble yet, with localised thunderstorms forecast for Saturday afternoon.
SES spokesman Steve Delaney said about 1,000 people in the Coutts Crossing and Darkwood areas remained isolated, but with little rainfall in the past day, and with rivers subsiding, they could be reconnected later on Saturday.
"There has been no real rain up there in the last 24 hours, and all the flood warnings issued by the Bureau of Meteorology have now been cancelled," he told AAP.
"We're now waiting the river levels at Coutts Crossing and at Darkwood to go down another few centimetres so the bridges are clear.
"Those communities should be back in touch with the real world some time during the day."
Freak rainfalls on Tuesday devastated northern NSW, with the areas of Coffs Harbour, Bellingen, Clarence Valley and Nambucca declared natural disaster zones by the NSW government.
Worst affected was the regional hub of Coffs Harbour, with about 100 residential properties and businesses affected, and 420 people having to be evacuated.
The massive clean-up is now underway, with the damage bill so far exceeding $27 million, the Insurance Council of Australia says.
It is the second time in just six weeks the region has been declared a disaster zone, following heavy rain in February.
The SES is monitoring thunderstorms forecast for the area for Saturday afternoon.
Because of the localised nature of the storms, they could pass with little impact, Mr Delaney said.
But if they break above already flood-affected towns, flash flooding and other storm damage could be a problem.
"They can drop it in the middle of nowhere, and it won't make a difference, but they could put 100mls in a very short time into the middle of Coffs Harbour, which is going to cause another drama," Mr Delaney said.
"The thing with thunderstorms is that you can have some fairly strong weather, some fairly high gusts, as the front comes through.
"After all the rain we've had up there, a lot of the big trees will not have as secure a footing on the ground, because the ground will be really wet and muddy, and there is the possibility those winds could put the trees over.
"If a fairly strong front comes through, then that could possibly cause storm damage as well as flood damage."
AAP ab/ldj
