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Residents still on flood alert

Monday February 8, 2010 - 11:00 EDT

A minor flood warning is still current for the Orara River west of Coffs Harbour.

The river peaked around 5.3 metres at Glenreagh Bridge about 3:00am (AEDT) today.

Minor flooding is forcast at Glenreagh and downstream over the next day or so.

Meanwhile, the State Emergency (SES) service was called to 17 jobs in the Coffs Harbour area yesterday.

More than 100 millimetres of rain fell in the Orara river catchment in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, leading to localised flash flooding.

The SES says most of its jobs were between 8:00am yesterday and 2:30pm.

SES spokesman Dave Webber says there was some flash flooding along Coffs Creek yesterday and most calls for help were for precautionary sandbagging.

"Mostly sandbagging properties, a bit of water innundation into properties, through roofs and eaves," he said.

"Some storm-related tasks with some tree branches but most of that flood threatening water innundation tasks.

"We did hear of one evacuation, not a rescue from the Coffs Harbour area and that was around a property that was innundated by water."

The heavy rain in river catchments led to a bridge being washed away in the upper reaches of the Bellinger River over the weekend.

The local SES says Justin's Bridge in upper Darkwood was recently repaired after last year's storm but is again out of action.

People living upriver are again isolated.

However, the SES says so far there are no problems with flash flooding of the Bellinger River.

- ABC

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