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It is official - the February 2022 flood was one of the biggest in the Tweed's recorded history.
Many areas recorded unprecedented river levels at the height of yesterday's event and the damage bill is likely to exceed even that of the devastating 2017 flood event.
The Tweed River at Murwillumbah peaked at 6.5m – 200mm higher than 2017 – and narrowly escaped more widespread flooding as the CBD levee only overtopped at a few locations and for a limited time.
Tumbulgum was one of the hardest hit localities in the Tweed, with the river peaking at 4.8m – 800mm higher than 2017.
Mayor of Tweed Chris Cherry said this event was also more widespread than 2017, with inundation of houses and businesses along the coast at Bogangar, Tweed Heads South and Pottsville, among other locations.
"Other areas which have flooded before have been hit harder this time, including Uki, Mooball, Burringbar, Crabbes Creek – and other places we probably don't know about yet," Cr Cherry said.
"With so many roads still flooded and power and internet connection patchy we are still not seeing the full impact of this event on the people and infrastructure of the Tweed.
"While we are used to flooding, no-one expects or is mentally prepared for an event of this magnitude and my heart goes out to all those affected," she said.
"We are also thinking about our neighbours to the north and south – particularly Brisbane and Lismore – who have also been devastated by the events of the past few days."
"Council's focus is on the provision of safe drinking water for our community and re-establishing our wastewater network, supporting our community with waste and clean-up options and safely restoring access to our roads.
"Our staff continue to support the Emergency Operations Centre and NSW SES needs who are keeping our community safe as they respond to this event."
The Tweed local government area has been included in the Federal and NSW Government's Natural Disaster Declarations, which means residents, businesses and councils may be eligible for assistance.
Here's what you need to know:
- Keep off the roads. Don't drive through water, we don't know what damage lays under the surface. Council crews are responding to high priority road hazards caused by this event, where they can access.
- Continue to restrict water use to essential only - food preparation, drinking and person hygiene use. Please don't use the water supply for hosing/flood cleaning until our treatment plants are producing water again.
- Residents of Uki and South Murwillumbah/Dunbible - please continue to boil your water.
- The Stotts Creek Resource Recovery Centre (tip) remains closed. Council's waste contractor Solo Resource Recovery is trying to get trucks into the community to service bins, where they can access streets. Please place your bins on the kerb on your normal collection day and leave them out until they can be serviced. Make sure your lid is closed to keep rain out and waste in.
- Council is working on a waste clean-up plan for flood affected areas. Please keep any flood clean-up items in your yard until Council confirms the clean-up plan.
- Stay out of floodwaters. Don't play in the water. Flood waters are contaminated with many nasty things that will make you very ill - sewage, fuel, chemical and pesticides are only a few of the nasties.
- The Tweed has been declared as Natural Disaster Area and Gary McKinnon has been appointed as the Recovery Coordinator from Resilience NSW.
- Electricity contractors are working to get power restored to all impacted communities as a matter of urgency.
