Flood operations being planned 'well past Easter' with heavy rains, floods set to continue
There are 1500 NSW SES volunteers currently on the ground across the state today as most of the east coast is battered by a monster rain bomb and a storm cell heads east into western New South Wales.
NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Daniel Austin said a callout has been issued to inter-state SES crews to relieve exhausted volunteers on NSW's north after months of flooding events.
"For our crews up on the Mid North Coast and the northern areas, they've seen almost continuous operations for a number of months," the Deputy Commissioner told the Weekend Today show this morning.
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NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Daniel Austin says emergency crews are currently planning flood operations for "well past Easter" as more rain is set to lash the state. 9News
"We've reached out to a number of our inter-state colleagues who will start providing some assistance into NSW as early as today."
The worst is not over for the Mid North Coast, with already swollen rivers expected to rise again today amid further rainfalls.
"River levels that had started to just recede slightly will peak again later today and potentially even tomorrow as the rainfall comes back for a third hit," he said.
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NSW weather floods - A resident surveys her flooded backyard in Kempsey. 9News
NSW weather floods Kempsey - The NSW Mid North Coast has seen a numerous flooding events in recent months. 9News
He noted that SES teams were already planning out their operations "well past Easter", as river levels take time to recede and the ensuing clean up operation would then need to commence.
Further South, parts of Greater Metropolitan Sydney are expected to see in excess of 100mm of rainfall today, with similar falls forecast for tomorrow.
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Surf life savers aid SES crews in rescuing stranded residents on the NSW Mid North Coast. 9News
Relief is on the way for exhausted NSW SES volunteers, with crews expected to arrive from interstate as early as today. 9News
SES crews are also watching a storm cell that is moving in from central Australia expected to bring up to 200mm of rainfall to western parts of NSW.
"So really at the moment it is everywhere from the Mid North Coast right the way down into the Illawarra," the Deputy Commissioner said.
"We're looking at some very long and protracted operations."
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