Northern NSW residents warned flooding could return as severe rain continues

People living in areas devastated by floods in northern NSW earlier this year are being warned rivers could rise again with rain expected to continue this week.

Uphill road in Lismrore

Lismore is one of northern NSW's most affected towns by the severe flooding in March, and is battling more rain this week. Source: AAP / Jason O'Brien

Lismore residents are being warned they could be hit with more floods as rain continues in northern NSW.

The region has already endured repeated severe flooding in recent months and the Bureau of Meteorology is warning more could be on the way after rain over the weekend.

Minor flood warnings are in place for Wilsons River in Lismore and Richmond River at Coraki and Bungawalbin.

Rain is expected to continue throughout Monday and for the rest of the week.
"There's a chance we could see higher rainfall totals in parts around the coastal fringe and that's going to be particularly as they go across Tuesday, as well as Thursday and Friday," the bureau's senior meteorologist Jordan Notara said.

He said soils in the Northern Rivers region and the northeast of the state remained heavily saturated and had not dried from the deluge of a record-breaking soggy summer, increasing the chances of flash flooding.

Some areas had already had their May average rainfall fall over the past few days, the weather bureau said.
More than 50mm of rain fell in the 24 hours to 9am on Monday in multiple areas of northern NSW, including Lismore and Mullumbimby.

More than 100mm was recorded in the Tweed region at Kingscliff.

Residents in northern NSW and southeast Queensland are still reeling after severe flooding ravaged their towns in March this year,

More than 4,000 homes were left uninhabitable in NSW's Northern Rivers, with more than half of all homes facing damage, and hundreds and thousands of people were forced to evacuate the town for days.

The federal and NSW governments committed more than $3 billion combined towards recovery efforts, including relief payments for housing, farmers, the arts, Indigenous communities, and small businesses.

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Published 23 May 2022 9:26pm
Source: AAP

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