Heavy rain has caused serious flooding along parts of Australia’s east coast, especially in New South Wales. Emergency services have rescued 24 people overnight, and more than 2,000 calls for help were made in just one day.
The towns of Taree and Newcastle have been hit hard. In Taree, over 160mm of rain fell in just six hours, and 267mm since Monday morning. About 4,000 homes have lost power on the mid-north coast, and 400 more in Newcastle are also affected.
Two dams—Lostock and Glennies Creek—are overflowing, and the Paterson River has risen above major flood levels. At Gostwyck Bridge, the river reached nearly 14 meters, higher than the 2021 floods.
Emergency officials are urging people not to drive through floodwaters. Many rescues happened because people ignored warnings and tried to drive through dangerous conditions.
“This is a multi-day flood event,” said weather expert Steve Bernasconi. “The ground is already soaked, so new rain flows straight into rivers and creeks.”
Residents like Anne Cross in Taree say this is some of the worst flooding they’ve seen. Emergency teams have evacuated 60 people and responded to 1,400 incidents so far.
