Lismore hero says 'just about every house we went past had people on roofs'

When there's a disaster, communities band together to help each other, which is exactly what Lismore resident Aiden Ricketts did when he heard his neighbours calling out for help.

While Mr Ricketts said he first heard his neighbours in the early hours of the morning, he had to tell them he'd help them once there was enough light to do so.

"They'd basically woken up at 4am or something and stepped out of their bed and were knee-deep in water and didn't expect it," Mr Ricketts said.

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He told A Current Affair host Tracy Grimshaw that once he was able to reach them with his "little tinnie boat", they were waiting on the veranda.

"We sort of grabbed her and her friend, (and) helped the dogs," he said.

"So we were pretty much on the water at absolute first light and the scene was incredible.

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"Just about every house we went past had people on roofs, people waving at us – one fellow even bashing his way out from being inside the ceiling, bashing the tin off the roof to get out."

Mr Rickett said realising some people may be stuck inside their roof cavities made him emotional.

"It's terrifying and it's brought me to tears many times today, thinking about it," the Lismore local said.

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"I was driving around at dawn in the boat, I was just looking at the houses, you know, full up to the guttering … and seeing these people on roofs and just thinking 'there's got to be some people stuck in there somewhere'."

He said it won't be clear how many people may be stuck until "it all washes up later".

Mr Rickett said he had managed to rescue about 16 people, including a woman in her 90s, along with some dogs.

"You can only fit a few in the boat."

He said the day started with "complete mayhem" when he was receiving calls for help from all over town.

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"Just to go down my own street I ended up having to pull people out of three or four houses," Mr Rickett said.

"When somebody is standing chest deep in water waving at you, you can't really just go past, so I really just had to stick to the jobs I had and the streets I was in."

Mr Rickett said while Lismore residents have become flood experts over the years, the current emergency had taken many by surprise.

"We're not talking about a situation where people were foolish, where they took risks or didn't listen to advice," he said.

"Lismore are the flood experts."

He said his own house was up to a planning standard required for a one-in-100-year flood and was up on stilts that were even higher than the standard.

"This flood was more than two metres higher than any flood in recorded history," Mr Rickett said.

"So, you imagine if you've lived in a house where you know it's been set for the floor level … to be above floods.

"And then the next thing, it's chest deep in water.

"That's what's taken people by surprise and that's why so many people in a flood savvy town have ended up in a very disaster situation."