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As of 7pm last night these NSW mid north coast towns remained isolated: Croki, Moto, South West Rocks, Hat Head, Crescent Head, Louth Park, Gillieston, Duckenfield, Millers Forest, Woodberry Swamp, Lambs Valley, Anambah, Hinton and Osterley.
NSW SES say they will be prioritising resupply in those locations and expect access to be restored as water recedes.
As we look forward, it’s important that everyone is across the process of emergency response and recovery from here. Our first priority, of course, is to save people in imminent risk of death. The next priority is to supply food and shelter. The last priority is the cleanup effort.
I understand that there will be some frustrations if your possessions have been swept away, or your business has been smashed. You want to start the recovery as quickly as possible. But we’ve got to make sure the third priority doesn’t jump in front of the first one.
These are tough communities… But they are in pain right now, as they count the costs of the damage, while mourning those who have died in terrible circumstances.
These deaths are a shocking tragedy, but it’s important to know that this disaster could have been on a much larger scale. If it wasn’t for the bravery and professionalism of our emergency workers and volunteers, we may have been mourning hundreds of deaths this week.