67 evacuation orders still in place across NSW as state enters day seven of flooding | July 8, 2022 | ACM
Newcastle, Port Stephens, Muswellbrook and MidCoast have been added to the list of disaster zones - making federal-state relief money available to more people affected by floods - following a visit to the Hunter by Premier Dominic Perrottet on Friday.
Twenty-three local government areas were initially named earlier this week - including Cessnock and Upper Hunter - before six more were added on Thursday - such as Singleton, Maitland, Lake Macquarie and Dungog.
The move gives eligible residents access to a one-off $1000 assistance payment.
"I don't want any community to miss out," Mr Perrottet said.
"We're erring on the side of if communities are impacted, those disaster areas should be declared. It doesn't make any sense for them not to be when people are in the same situation as other areas, so we'll work through that and we'll raise that with the federal government."
Mr Perrottet thanked the ongoing efforts of emergency response volunteers and said personnel had arrived in the Hunter from the Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania to help.
He toured the region on Friday morning by helicopter with NSW Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke to survey the damage from above.
"The enormity of the challenge in front of us ... to make sure we get our communities back on track is not lost on me," he said.
"It's going to require, as it has in the past, a major effort."
Ms Cooke said the aerial vantage point showed that a lot of water remained "lying around".
"The landscape is absolutely saturated, the creeks and rivers are still incredibly swollen," she said.
"There's widespread inundation. It really does highlight the task ahead for us now."
Premier Dominic Perrottet and Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison meet with incident controller Shannon Mulholland at the RFS Lower Hunter Fire Control Centre on Friday. Picture: Max Mason-HubersNSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and NSW Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke. Picture: Max Mason-HubersPicture: Max Mason-HubersPicture: Max Mason-HubersPicture: Max Mason-HubersNSW Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke. Picture: Max Mason-HubersPicture: Max Mason-HubersSES deputy commissioner Damien Johnston. Picture: Max Mason-HubersAddison says farewell to her pop Steve McCann, with her mum Elysha holding her looking towards Gillieston Heights. Picture: Simone De PeakCessnock Road between Maitland CBD and Gillieston Heights on Thursday. Picture: Simone De PeakAnthony Lloyd and his son Tom paddling near their home on the flooded Athel Dombrain Drive on Thursday. Picture: Simone De PeakLooking towards Gillieston Heights from Maitland on Thursday. Picture: Simone De PeakMaitland on Thursday. Picture: Simone De PeakJulie Moy arrives from the isolated area with her dog Lil. Picture: Simone De PeakFLOODS: Kyra Ward checking the water Level outside her cousin's house on Bishopgate Street where she's staying. Picture: Max Mason-HubersBEDLAM: Dairy farmer of 47 years Max Wake checking on his cows at the milking shed. Picture: Max Mason-HubersHIGHER GROUND: St Catherine's Catholic College agriculture teacher Joanna Towers with pigs she moved to a shed on higher ground. Picture: Max Mason-HubersBEDLAM: Dairy farmer of 47 years Max Wake checking on his cows at the milking shed. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Ben Hynes and Kyra Ward checking the level of water under the floor of Ben's house on Bishopgate Street Singleton. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Mark Webster checking the water level in the underfloor cellar at Ben and Katie Hynes' house. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: The cricket nets at Cook Park inundated by water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Lara Pepperall and Josh Maytom feeding cattle which had been evacuated to the safety of the HRLAX saleyards outside town. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Lara Pepperall feeding young cattle which had been evacuated to the safety of the HRLAX saleyards outside town. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Bec Harris and her kids Theo and Arlo checking out the water level in the Hunter River. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Singleton streets were inundated with water. Picture: Max Mason-HubersFLOODS: Bec Harris and her kids Theo and Arlo checking out the water level in the Hunter River. Picture: Max Mason-HubersRISING WATERS: Cattle had to be moved from St Catherine's Catholic College at Singleton this morning. Picture: Joanna TowersRISING WATERS: Cattle had to be moved from St Catherine's Catholic College at Singleton this morning. Picture: Joanna TowersRISING WATERS: Cattle had to be moved from St Catherine's Catholic College at Singleton this morning. Picture: Joanna TowersRISING WATERS: Cattle had to be moved from St Catherine's Catholic College at Singleton this morning. Picture: Joanna TowersFLOODS: Swirling floodwaters under a bridge at Singleton. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers
Ms Cooke urged anyone subject to advice that they could return home with caution to be mindful of debris and other hazards on roads and properties.
"It you're trying to dry your house out please do so very very carefully and safely because we don't want housefires, we don't want people to be injured," she said.
Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison said there were many farmers in the area who would be seeking assistance and local councils would need help addressing damage to roads.
"Everyone, be a little patient. We are going to have a way to go [to get] out of this but we have to work together," she said.
"We are getting the attention we need, now we just have to let everyone do their job."
SES deputy commissioner Damien Johnston said 67 evacuation orders remained in place across NSW as of Friday.
He said people should assess risks such as electrical hazards, debris and contaminated waters when returning home to survey damage.
"Please continue to heed the advice of the SES and emergency services," he said.
"Don't put yourself and the SES volunteers in harm's way as a result of decisions that should not have been made. We will be there for you, but we would rather not have to respond to something that could have been prevented."
Moderate flooding continued at Maitland and Singleton throughout Friday.
The Hunter River at Maitland's Belmore Bridge peaked at 10.41m about 7.30am and had dropped slightly as of the afternoon.
The Hunter River at Singleton was falling but was expected to remain above the moderate flood level of 11.5m until Friday evening.
The Bureau of Meteorology is expecting the Hunter River to peak around 3m at Raymond Terrace on Friday night, causing minor flooding.
Several roads across the region remained cut, including parts of the New England Highway between East Maitland and just outside Muswellbrook.
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