A 93-year-old woman floating on a mattress with no more than 20cm of room between the roof and the flood level is among the amazing stories of survival during this devastating flood event.
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Her rescuers included two senior constables from the Oxley Police District - who are part-time rescue operatives - alongside SES volunteers.
They attended a home in Barnes Street, Lismore on Monday and the officers yelled out and heard a faint call for help from inside a home, with water up to the eaves of the house.
One of the senior constables dived into the water and went through an open window and located a 93-year-old woman floating on a mattress, with no more than 20cm of room between the roof and rising flood water.
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The woman was pulled from the home on a boogie board, through the open window and onto a waiting rescue boat.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Police, Paul Toole, said this is just one example of the heroism NSW Police officers and emergency service volunteers have carried out this past week.
"There are dozens of similar stories across all emergency services personnel working alongside members of the public to save lives," Deputy Premier Toole said.
"This is the true meaning of community, and I am thankful to every police officer, every volunteer, every community member who has helped. There is no doubt in my mind that these acts of bravery have saved countless lives."
A significant rain event continues to impact large areas of the state.
There are several Flood Evacuation Orders current for many locations across the state. A full list of current evacuation orders and warnings can be found on the NSW SES website: https://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/.
As part of the ongoing flood rescue and recovery operation, more than 100 additional officers from multiple Police Area Commands and specialist units in Sydney have been deployed to further bolster crews on the ground.
State Emergency Operations Controller, Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon, said these additional officers are on top of several specialist police who deployed to the region earlier in the week.
"Our NSW Police officers will go wherever they need to across the state to protect our people. Our workforce is highly mobile, so this will greatly assist our officers already on the ground," Deputy Commissioner Lanyon said.
"Officers from Richmond and Tweed/Byron Police Districts - along with our rescue operatives, detectives, Emergency Operations Committees and all our partner emergency service agencies and volunteers - have been working around the clock, saving local's lives."
"This is a timely reminder for those in flood affected areas to please register your movements with the Australian Red Cross' 'Register, Find, Reunite' service. We want to ensure everyone is able to locate and reunite with their family and friends and this is one extremely helpful service to achieve this," Deputy Commissioner Lanyon said.
The Register, Find, Reunite website - https://www.redcross.org.au/emergencies/about-register-find-reunite/ -is a National system managed and operated by Australian Red Cross.
It is a service which registers, finds and reunites family, friends and loved ones after an Emergency. It allows people to:
- Register to let people know they are safe
- Find people who may be affected by an Emergency and know they are safe
- Reunite through a matching process which enables Police, with consent, to share details of family and friends with each other.
The Public Information and Inquiry Centre (PIIC), has also been activated to support the severe weather operation.
The principle function of the PIIC is to not only provide accurate, up-to-date general information to the public, but to also answer their inquiries regarding the flood event which has impacted on the community.
The Public Information and Inquiry Centre can be contacted by calling 1800 227 228.
Members of the public in flood affected areas should continue to listen to local radio stations, or check the websites listed below.It should be noted this inquiry hotline does not replace the State Emergency Service emergency hotline.Members of the public seeking emergency assistance during a flood or storm should call the NSW State Emergency Service on 132 500, or visit their website www.ses.nsw.gov.au.
The State Emergency Operations Centre at Homebush has also been stood up and will provide real-time assistance and intelligence to emergency services in the affected communities.
