Macleay flood update: River levels to peak overnight before falling

The River has risen at Georges Creek today and is currently rising at Bellbrook.

The River may reach a peak at the moderate level (around 5.7m) in Kempsey overnight or early Thursday morning as outlined in the BoM warning.

Based on this rise and the volume of water in the flood plain, Hat Head and Crescent Head are expected to remain isolated for a number of days and roads may continue to have to close at short notice.

The Minor to Moderate flood warning remains in place covering Georges Creek, Bellbrook, Kempsey and Smithtown.

The evacuation orders for Kempsey CBD and low-lying areas of the Lower Macleay remain in place.

Flood waters, damaged roads and closed bridges mean around 2000 people remain isolated around the shire, including Hat Head, Crescent Head and some upriver communities.

South West Rocks is no longer isolated despite the closure of South West Rocks Road as Summer Island Road and Plummers Lane (between Macleay Valley Way and Jerseyville) are passable.

A large landslip has occurred on the Kempsey-Armidale Road at around 1am on Wednesday.

The landslip is located approximately 500m to the Kempsey side of Schoolhouse Creek.

One lane of the road has been reopened.

The Macleay River at Kempsey may reach the moderate flood level (5.7m) overnight Wednesday into Thursday.

The Macleay River at Smithtown may reach the moderate flood level (4m) overnight Wednesday into Thursday.

The Macleay River at Georges Creek peaked at 9.1m around 5.45am Wednesday and is currently falling with moderate flooding.

The Macleay River at Bellbrook is expected to peak near 8.5m around 5pm Wednesday with minor flooding.

Kempsey Shire Council will continue to post updates to their Facebook page and website.

The floodwaters are receding and now the clean-up begins.

During the flood, many people across the Kempsey Shire experienced damage and loss to properties and livestock.

To find out what financial assistance is available call Service NSW's Disaster Customer Care Service on 13 77 88 or visit their website, Disaster relief for individuals and families

This flood crisis has put a strain on everyone in the community and everyone will respond to it in a different way. It is normal and expected for many people to feel stressed and overwhelmed by the events that have occurred.

If you are concerned about your own mental health or someone you know, you can call the Mental Health Line run by the NSW Department of Health on 1800 011 511.

Or call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

SES Evacuation Orders remain in place for low lying areas of the Lower Macleay and for the Kempsey CBD.

Evacuation Centres remain open at the Kempsey Showground, the South West Rocks Country Club and Crescent Head Public School.

Community members who have been asked to evacuate are encouraged to seek assistance from friends and family in the first instance, but if that is not possible, head to an evacuation centre.

SES Evacuation Orders are in place for:

Evacuation Centres remain open at:

The following gauge and manual readings are being used to monitor the situation:

Alternate river level/rainfall information is available from the Bureau of Meteorology website. www.bom.gov.au/nsw/flood/midnorth.shtml

There have been multiple reports of damaged bridges Council teams are actively working to repair these roads:

Council is not able to guarantee the status of all roads at this time and are focusing attention on key routes including the Kempsey CBD.

People travelling in this weather are doing so at their own risk and are advised to exercise extreme caution and drive to the conditions.

Locals can view current road closures by visiting the Live Traffic NSW website here.

Roads within the Kempsey CBD are impacted by localised flooding, and may be impacted by riverine flooding.

Kempsey LGA - 63 customers without power

Kempsey crews were able to get the power back on to over 100 customers across the Macleay Valley today.

Essential Energy restored power to over 60 customers in the Willawarrin and Toorooka areas this afternoon, with further work to take place over the next day to remove trees on lines and make further repairs to restore power to remaining customers.

Crews remain hopeful of restoring power to a number of customers in the Dungay Creek area this afternoon, noting some customers will be without power through to the weekend due to further access requirements.

Six customers remain without power in Kundabung with further patrols of the electricity network in this area continuing - it is hoped power can be restored over the next 24 hours.

Unfortunately, a number of customers in Toorumbee will remain without power possibly through until the weekend as crews need to replace three power poles, and access remains unavailable.

The most recent images from flood cameras on the Macleay River are available at https://beta.kempsey.nsw.gov.au/Environment/Emergencies/Flood-information

The flood monitoring camera at Sherwood Bridge, west of Kempsey, is focused on the bridge deck so residents can see if the bridge is being affected by flooding. Images are updated every 30 minutes. Please note the time stamp is set to Australian Eastern Standard Time NOT to Australian Eastern Daylight Saving Time.

The flood monitoring camera at Kempsey Traffic Bridge is focused on the base of the bridge to assess water levels in town.

Residents and visitors are urged to remain cautious on the roads for localised impacts and not attempt to drive through floodwaters or cross flooded bridges.

Council welcomes advice from residents in outlying areas regarding any concerns which may be reported to council on 6566 3200.

For emergency help in floods and storms, call the NSW State Emergency Service on 132 500. In life threatening situations call triple zero (000) immediately.