Okay, so it’s a bit confusing so here is a recap of the situation this morning.
The Brisbane River has believed to have peaked around 8am this morning at 4.0 meters, with large amounts of debris, boats and even potentially small homes seen floating down it. Across the south-east of the state, thousands of homes have now been evacuated and thousands of schools have been closed.
However, it appears the worst of damage this morning has been focused in the northern NSW town of Lismore, which is now facing its worst flooding on record, placing extreme pressure on emergency services.
About 15,000 people have been evacuated on the north coast and the entire Lismore CBD is inundated after days of unrelenting torrential rain, as the town braces for its worst-ever flood crisis that will surpass the devastation caused in 1974 and 1954, reports AAP.
The Bureau of Meteorology says Lismore’s Wilsons River could reach around 14.20 metres on Monday afternoon, stoking fears of unprecedented inundation in the area. The previous high of 12.27 metres was registered in 1954.
The Mayor says the city’s SES only has two boats and has taken to social media to urge people with private vessels to help enter the township and rescue the hundreds of people now sheltering in their attics and on top of their roofs. However, the SES now say in some areas it is simply too dangerous for untrain rescue operations.
Emergency services have now confirmed at least seven people have died in the floodwaters.