Volunteers from six Marine Rescue NSW units have provided vital support to flood operations on the Mid North Coast over the past 24 hours, while further south, units have responded to emergencies and kept watch on swollen, dirty waterways.
Crews from Marine Rescue Port Macquarie, Marine Rescue Crowdy Harrington and Marine Rescue Camden Haven have evacuated residents aged from six months to 93 years from flooded homes and caravan parks last night and today.
Members of Marine Rescue Ulladulla, Marine Rescue Tuggerah Lakes and Marine Rescue Broken Bay have provided out-of-area support from a staging point at Taree South.
Commissioner Stacey Tannos thanked all the volunteers for their efforts in heavy rainfall and on hazardous waterways as part of the emergency response to assist the community in this time of need.
He also thanked members who had maintained radio operations, covered shifts for crews on out-of-area deployments and who faced the lengthy and messy clean-up of their flooded bases and homes.
Floodwaters have inundated Marine Rescue Nambucca, MR Camden Haven and MR Port Macquarie bases, with some Camden Haven volunteers’ homes and vehicles also flooded.
“Our volunteers’ greatest strength is their commitment to serving our community, no matter the circumstances,” the Commissioner said.
“They, along with all the members of the emergency services, are doing a mighty job in these conditions and I thank them all for their determination and persistence.”
Crews from MR Port Macquarie were tasked this morning to evacuate up to 100 people from the Riverside Resort caravan park, doorknocking residents before transporting a dozen people who chose to leave back to the town’s marina.
The unit also transported a council employee to carry out repairs to a damaged cable on the Settlement Point ferry, secured a sea plane, jetty, boats and house boat adrift and attended a semi-submerged boat on the local canals.
In three separate operations, MR Crowdy Harrington evacuated four women, including a 78 and 93-year-old, to safety with family members.With local roads rendered impassable by floodwaters, MR Camden Haven was tasked to medi-vac a pregnant woman from the Diamond Waters caravan park but found she had made her way safely to hospital. Two people were evacuated from the nearby Dunbogan caravan park.
Late this afternoon, members of MR Broken Bay chipped in to help their colleagues from the Forster Pacific Palms SES Unit fill sandbags as part of preparations for potential local flooding.
Further south, MR Tuggerah Lakes headed out to investigate the welfare of two windsurfers whom a member of the public had reported to be struggling in the conditions. The pair declined assistance.
Marine Rescue Hawkesbury spent the afternoon on a search for a missing man who has not been seen since 8pm yesterday without finding any trace of the 74-year-old.
Marine Rescue Cottage Point was called to pump out a waterlogged boat sinking on a mooring at Clareville but as soon as it emptied, it immediately refilled.
Marine Rescue Middle Harbour and Marine Rescue Port Jackson were on patrol on a quiet but swirling Sydney Harbour, keeping watch for boats that had come loose from moorings, debris posing navigational hazards or boaters in trouble. A cruiser that washed on to Balmoral Beach could not be retrieved on the falling tide.
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