ID :
62037
Sat, 05/23/2009 - 23:12
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/62037
The shortlink copeid
All beaches between Sydney, Qld closed
All beaches between Sydney and the Queensland Coast have been closed as storms that
have battered northern NSW continue to whip up huge seas.
Surf Life Saving NSW and the Australian Lifeguard Service have warned people to stay
out of the surf along the NSW coast north of Sydney, saying dangerous beach
conditions, winds up to 90km/h, and high tides are a concern.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast swells of six metres, along the NSW coastline.
"Very large ocean waves and swell are occurring along the coast between the
Queensland border and Port Hacking, producing very dangerous surf conditions and
beach erosion," the organisations said in a statement.
"Waves are particularly large north of Port Macquarie.
"Tides will be higher than normal (on Saturday) and are expected to exceed the
highest tide level of the year. Some inundation of low lying areas is likely to
occur on the high tide north of Port Macquarie."
The lifesaving bodies also told people to stay away from creek and river mouths, and
to avoid near shore boating and fishing.
Meanwhile, flooding in northern NSW has prompted the evacuation of thousands of
people and claimed the life of a 70-year-old man whose body was found near his
submerged car.
The man's death comes as State Emergency Services urge residents in Kempsey and
Grafton in the state's north to follow evacuation orders as river waters rise.
Officers were called to a submerged car in floodwaters on South Arm Road at Raleigh,
south of Coffs Harbour, about 5.15pm (AEST) on Friday, police said.
"Police and other emergency services attempted to reach the location but were cut
off by floodwaters some 8km from where the vehicle was sighted," a NSW police
statement said.
Several attempts were made to reach the silver-coloured Toyota Hilux before officers
gained access shortly after midnight.
Police found the body of a 70-year-old local man nearby.
A post mortem will be conducted and a report is being prepared for the coroner.
The SES has urged Kempsey residents to follow evacuation orders before the Macleay
River overtops the levee and floods the town and surrounding roads around midday.
Grafton residents have also been ordered to evacuate.
The SES estimates 21,500 people have been isolated, including 16,000 in Grafton
where about 2,000 people have been evacuated with expectations the town could be cut
off for more than two days.
The bureau of Meteorology says the Macleay River at Kempsey is now predicted to
reach seven metres.
SES spokesman Greg Slater said the Pacific highway to the north of Kempsey had
already closed.
"Numerous streets in and around the CBD area will start to close either through
local heavy rainfall, just water lying around, or as the levee starts to overtop it
will also start to close those streets," he told Sky News.
"Transport and moving around in that CBD will become problematic."
He said the situation "is serious" and people who did not have their own vehicle or
needed assistance moving should call SES assistance 132500.
"We really need the community to get behind this evacuation."
Coastal areas of NSW could also be subject to storm damage, he said.
"Whilst we've probably seen the worst of the rainfall, there is this low pressure
system hovering off the east coast.
"That will be still associated with some quite strong winds, obviously high seas and
predicted a high tide later today."
He said storm surges could be associated with the storm system.
"Coastal areas certainly aren't out of the threshold at the moment in terms of wave
damage."
Just a month after flooding, towns on the Bellinger River remain isolated.
He said those towns would be isolated about three to four days if no further rain
falls in the area.
Floodwaters at Grafton peaked at around 3am (AEST) on Saturday at 7.3 metres,
slightly lower than expected.
But Mr Slater said it would take a "significant amount of time" for floodwaters in
the north of the state to drop.
"The water that has pooled on to the floodplain, it's notoriously slow to go down,"
Mr Slater said.
"So we could be talking weeks of inundation for some areas, if not longer."
Country Energy says they have received over 30,000 calls from customers in the past
two days.
The Bureau of Meteorology says conditions should improve on Sunday for the north
coast region.
NSW Premier Nathan Rees has declared the Tweed, Byron, Ballina, Lismore, Kyogle,
Richmond Valley and Clarence Valley local government areas disaster zones.
The Bureau of Meteorology has flood warnings in place for the Tweed River, the
Richmond Wilsons River, Clarence River, Belinger River, Macleay River, Hastings
River, Manning River, Orara River, Brunswick River and the Nambucca River.
have battered northern NSW continue to whip up huge seas.
Surf Life Saving NSW and the Australian Lifeguard Service have warned people to stay
out of the surf along the NSW coast north of Sydney, saying dangerous beach
conditions, winds up to 90km/h, and high tides are a concern.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast swells of six metres, along the NSW coastline.
"Very large ocean waves and swell are occurring along the coast between the
Queensland border and Port Hacking, producing very dangerous surf conditions and
beach erosion," the organisations said in a statement.
"Waves are particularly large north of Port Macquarie.
"Tides will be higher than normal (on Saturday) and are expected to exceed the
highest tide level of the year. Some inundation of low lying areas is likely to
occur on the high tide north of Port Macquarie."
The lifesaving bodies also told people to stay away from creek and river mouths, and
to avoid near shore boating and fishing.
Meanwhile, flooding in northern NSW has prompted the evacuation of thousands of
people and claimed the life of a 70-year-old man whose body was found near his
submerged car.
The man's death comes as State Emergency Services urge residents in Kempsey and
Grafton in the state's north to follow evacuation orders as river waters rise.
Officers were called to a submerged car in floodwaters on South Arm Road at Raleigh,
south of Coffs Harbour, about 5.15pm (AEST) on Friday, police said.
"Police and other emergency services attempted to reach the location but were cut
off by floodwaters some 8km from where the vehicle was sighted," a NSW police
statement said.
Several attempts were made to reach the silver-coloured Toyota Hilux before officers
gained access shortly after midnight.
Police found the body of a 70-year-old local man nearby.
A post mortem will be conducted and a report is being prepared for the coroner.
The SES has urged Kempsey residents to follow evacuation orders before the Macleay
River overtops the levee and floods the town and surrounding roads around midday.
Grafton residents have also been ordered to evacuate.
The SES estimates 21,500 people have been isolated, including 16,000 in Grafton
where about 2,000 people have been evacuated with expectations the town could be cut
off for more than two days.
The bureau of Meteorology says the Macleay River at Kempsey is now predicted to
reach seven metres.
SES spokesman Greg Slater said the Pacific highway to the north of Kempsey had
already closed.
"Numerous streets in and around the CBD area will start to close either through
local heavy rainfall, just water lying around, or as the levee starts to overtop it
will also start to close those streets," he told Sky News.
"Transport and moving around in that CBD will become problematic."
He said the situation "is serious" and people who did not have their own vehicle or
needed assistance moving should call SES assistance 132500.
"We really need the community to get behind this evacuation."
Coastal areas of NSW could also be subject to storm damage, he said.
"Whilst we've probably seen the worst of the rainfall, there is this low pressure
system hovering off the east coast.
"That will be still associated with some quite strong winds, obviously high seas and
predicted a high tide later today."
He said storm surges could be associated with the storm system.
"Coastal areas certainly aren't out of the threshold at the moment in terms of wave
damage."
Just a month after flooding, towns on the Bellinger River remain isolated.
He said those towns would be isolated about three to four days if no further rain
falls in the area.
Floodwaters at Grafton peaked at around 3am (AEST) on Saturday at 7.3 metres,
slightly lower than expected.
But Mr Slater said it would take a "significant amount of time" for floodwaters in
the north of the state to drop.
"The water that has pooled on to the floodplain, it's notoriously slow to go down,"
Mr Slater said.
"So we could be talking weeks of inundation for some areas, if not longer."
Country Energy says they have received over 30,000 calls from customers in the past
two days.
The Bureau of Meteorology says conditions should improve on Sunday for the north
coast region.
NSW Premier Nathan Rees has declared the Tweed, Byron, Ballina, Lismore, Kyogle,
Richmond Valley and Clarence Valley local government areas disaster zones.
The Bureau of Meteorology has flood warnings in place for the Tweed River, the
Richmond Wilsons River, Clarence River, Belinger River, Macleay River, Hastings
River, Manning River, Orara River, Brunswick River and the Nambucca River.
