A woman’s body has been found on a flooded property at Burringbar in the Tweed Valley.
It appears to be the first fatality of ex-tropical Cyclone Debbie which battered the northern rivers causing the worst flooding in decades.
Police have been told the woman disappeared in floodwaters overnight from a rural property on Upper Burringbar Road, at Upper Burringbar.
Her body was found by a family member about 8am (Friday).
Inquiries are underway and a post mortem is expected to be conducted next week.
Disaster zones
Meanwhile, Lismore, Ballina and Byron local government areas have been declared Natural Disaster Zones following the devastating deluge with the NSW government announcing disaster assistance for affected communities.
And in the Tweed, sewerage-pump failures due to the heavy rain has made the Uki drinking water supply untreatable.
Uki has its own water treatment plant and this water may have become contaminated.
Residents are advised that water used for drinking or food preparation should be brought to a rolling boil. Water should then be allowed to cool and stored in a clean container with a lid and refrigerated.
A Tweed Shire Council spokesperson said that if you are unable to boil the water, household bleach can be used to kill disease causing organisms in the water. Add 10 drops of 1 per cent chlorine bleach per litre of water and let it stand for 30 minutes. If you cannot smell chlorine after that time, add another 10 drops.
Bottled or cool boiled water or bleached water should be used for drinking, preparing food, making ice, pet’s drinking water, cleaning teeth and gargling.
Dishes should be washed in hot soapy water or in a dishwasher. Children should take bottled or cool boiled water or bleached water to school.
Tweed Shire Council is working to fix the problem and bring in alternative water via a tanker or bottled water.
This advice should be followed until further notice.
Shocking devastation
Ballina MP Tamara Smith said the rain and flood damage across such a wide area was shocking.
‘Although we were warned in advance of the amount of rain, it is still awful to experience flood damage and to be unable to travel due to road closures,’ Ms Smith said.
‘My deepest sympathies are with home owners and business owners who have been affected by flooding.’
‘I know our emergency services and volunteers have been very busy and are doing as much as they can. I am grateful to them for their courage and hard work during a crisis like this.’
State and federal governments are offering recovery assistance to help flooded communities which includes:
- Help for eligible people whose homes or belongings have been damaged
- Support for affected local councils to help with the costs of cleaning up and restoring damaged essential public assets
- Concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers and non-profit organisations
- Freight subsidies for primary producers; and
- Grants to non-profit organisations.
For information on personal hardship and distress assistance, contact the Disaster Welfare Assistance Line on 1800 018 444.
To apply for a concessional loan, grant or freight subsidy, contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593 or visit raa.nsw.gov.au.
Further information on disaster assistance is available at disasterassist.gov.au and emergency.nsw.gov.au.
Landholders who need help with emergency support for their livestock, emergency fodder, stock water and other materials should contact North Coast Local Land Services on 1300 795 299.
The following contact numbers are also provided for those impacted by the current flood emergency:
For all calls relating to property damage refer to SES (Flood and Storm Response) 132 500
For financial assistance contact Department of Human Services (Centrelink) 132 850
Emergency housing inquiries including temporary accommodation contact Department of Family and Community Services (Housing Centre) 1800 422 322
To apply for a concessional loan, grant or freight subsidy, contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593 or visit raa.nsw.gov.au.
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