Wingham SES crew members Ted Bowen, Gary Jobson and John Usback remove a large tree which came down over a house and carport in Flett Street, Wingham during the weekend’s wild weather. The SES were involved in a number of incidents between Friday and Sunday.
WINGHAM State Emergency Service (SES) was kept busy over the weekend responding to a number of incidents associated with the area’s wild weather.
Wingham SES unit controller, Gary Green said the severe weather conditions were sparked by the southern edge of an east coast low pressure system which brought substantial rain to the upper catchment causing moderate flooding.
The Manning River began to rise on Saturday from 1.7 metres at 12am to 9.10 metres at 11.50pm Saturday.
The Manning River peaked at 9.42 metres in Wingham at 3am Sunday.
The river height was recorded at 12.27 metres at Killawarra at 1.45am on Sunday.
The Bight Bridge was covered on Saturday afternoon and remained closed all day Sunday.
According to the SES, more than 160 millimetres of rain fell across the Manning from 9am Friday to 12am Sunday.
SES crews attended a number of trees blown down around the area with the largest callout being in Flett Street in Wingham.
A large tree had blown onto a carport and roof of a house which required a SES chainsaw crew and a crane to remove.
The SES reports there was an elderly person sleeping in a rear bedroom at the time the tree fell, who was not injured in the incident.
Eight members of the Wingham SES maintained the operation centre with the storm damage and swift water rescue crew on standby since Friday.
One member from the Wingham unit with level two flood rescue qualifications was sent to Kempsey with a rescue boat to assist with flood emergencies.
With more rain forecast in the coming week, Mr Green said the community needs to be mindful further flooding could occur.
“With the high level of rain we’ve had over the past few months, the ground is at total saturation meaning creeks can become quickly swollen. Trees can also be affected by soft soil and water take-up,” he said.
The SES encourages residents to ensure their gutters and drains are maintained and clear of debris.
Mr Green said there are a number of residences in the area that are isolated and probably will be for the next two to three days.
“If we get more rain, people in areas prone to isolation need to think about medicines, food and essential items like batteries and fuel for generators,” he said.
“The SES advice for people is to never enter flood water by vehicle, riding or walking. Flood water can be contaminated by chemicals or sewerage and pose a health hazard.”
The SES assistance line is 132500. Call triple 0 in the case of an emergency.
