OUR wishes on Tuesday were enough Hughie – okay.
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Or in other words, “rain rain go away and come back another day”. And by Thursday morning with the clouds clearing and bright sunshine embracing the district our wishes had at last come true.
Torrential Tuesday best sums up what was one horribly wet day when a slow moving rain band that stalled mid-Hunter Valley caused flash flooding throughout our district and, tragically, deaths in nearby Dungog and Maitland.
Fortunately for us here in Singleton, the damage was confined to property but it was one mighty downpour with areas such as Glendonbrook, Mitchells Flat, Mirannie and Lower Belford receiving rainfall recordings nudging 200mm.
This combined with overnight falls of nearly 100mm meant the local waterways quickly became overloaded breaching their banks flooding roads and causing widespread damage to surrounding properties.
In Branxton they recorded 360mm, the biggest deluge since 1863.
Not since the 1955 floods have we seen such disruptions in the lower Hunter and, in Singleton, schools were forced to close for three days due to damage and the problems staff had in actually getting to the work.
Singleton local government area (LGA), along with neigbouring Maitland, Cessnock and Dungog LGAs, has been declared natural disaster areas.
Commonwealth Minister for Justice Michael Keenan and NSW Minister for Emergency Services David Elliott announced disaster assistance has been activated in response to storms and floods that have wreaked havoc along the east coast.
“A range of assistance is being made available through the jointly-funded Commonwealth-State Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA),” Mr Keenan said.
“The Australian and NSW governments recognise the need to provide swift and effective assistance to help communities and families deal with and recover from these storms and floods.
“Natural disasters such as this can be unpredictable and I commend the efforts of emergency services personnel and the resilience displayed by affected communities during this difficult time.”
Mr Elliott said individuals and families impacted by the storms and floods can access personal hardship assistance payments from today.
“These communities have experienced unprecedented weather conditions over the past 48 hours,” he Elliott said.
“This assistance will ensure people have access to food, clothing and personal items in the immediate aftermath of the storms and floods. It will also provide assistance for accommodation and the replacement of essential household contents, such as bedding and furniture, and structural repairs to homes damaged by the storms and floods.
“Councils will also have access to funding for counter disaster operations such as sandbagging and repairing damaged essential infrastructure.
“This assistance will help ease the financial burden on councils associated with undertaking these vital operations to ensure essential infrastructure is repaired.
“This is critical to communities returning to normal functioning as quickly as possible.
“While conditions are expected to ease, I encourage residents to remain vigilant and heed the advice of local authorities. As the full effects of this emergency are still unfolding, further areas may be affected.”
For information about disaster relief grants for contents and structural repairs, available to low income earners with no insurance, contact the Disaster Welfare Assistance Line on 1800 018 444.
Information on disaster assistance available for this natural disaster can be found on the Australian Government’s Disaster Assist website at www.disasterassist.gov.au and the NSW Ministry for Police and Emergency services website at www.mpes.nsw.gov.au/nddassistance
Local recordings:
Apple Tree Flat 129mm
Glennies Creek 197mm
Bowmans Creek 150mm
Glendonbrook 297mm
Mirannie 244mm
Bulga 200mm
Lower Belford 280mm
Mt Thorley 572mm