Even Head locals keeping a close eye on river levels

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Further down the coat some rural communities have been cut off as rain from ex-Cyclone Alfred bears down. Others are keeping a close eye on river levels.

Transcript

00:00Locals in Ballina assess Alfred's long-awaited arrival.

00:08Winds slower than expected, but still strong enough to bring down trees and posts.

00:14Up the river in Woodburn, the danger was just beginning.

00:18Residents ordered to evacuate by midday as the rising Richmond River threatened homes.

00:24It's expected to flood overnight, peaking tomorrow morning.

00:28Some local farmers kept cool heads.

00:30I'm in a high house up there and it floods nearly every time, so we just waited it out.

00:35Steve Smith helped rescue neighbours in his boat in 2022.

00:40He says he's ready to do it again.

00:42Yeah, yeah, we're ready. We've got a bigger boat this time too.

00:45Pub owner Daniel Simpson opened for a few hours to allow residents to restock.

00:50Many that were here in 2022 have already packed up and gone.

00:53They just don't want to take the chance.

00:56My wife has said to me, I just can't do this again.

00:59He says he'll be checking the river levels into the night.

01:02It's a nervous wait, no doubt.

01:04We're all watching the river heights further upstream to try and anticipate what's happening.

01:10Throughout the afternoon, floodwaters rose further up the river in Corakay and in Talwadja Creek, south of Grafton.

01:18Some communities cut off near Coffs Harbour, with farmers bringing animals to safety.

01:23Sometimes it's a bit hard to know whether the driveway's going to go under, so we'll just keep checking it.

01:28Residents in surrounding flood-prone areas have been told to evacuate here to Evans Head,

01:33and local volunteers have come together to make them as comfortable as possible.

01:37There's been over 150 people already through this evacuation centre,

01:43so we've set up some beds ready for some families to come and stay the night if they need to.

01:49Residents hoping the rivers spare their homes for at least one more night.

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