Outlying areas, particularly to the west of the Nambucca Valley’s main population centres were the worst affected as rising flood waters isolated pockets of the community for varying time periods.

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Locations such as Missabotti, Buckra Bendinni and Taylors Arm experienced roads being cut, however many locals reported being well prepared for this eventuality.

“We were cut off from getting into town by the flood waters for three days, however we were prepared for it and are now looking at the positives such as full water tanks,” Lower Buckra Bendini resident Dee Bee Bishop told News Of The Area.

Schools in the district were also closed as a precaution until weather conditions stabilised.

A recent innovation that played a significant role providing timely information to concerned local residents was the ability to access live flood cameras from the Nambucca Valley Council’s website.

Cameras at Factory Bridge, Boat Harbour Bridge, Laverty’s Bridge, Cassidy’s Bridge, the Nambucca River at Macksville, Lanes Bridge and Little Broughys improved safety by reducing the need for residents to take to the roads unnecessarily.

While some camera outages were reported, their use was positively received.

Emergency services and local authorities were able to act on important lessons from previous natural disasters.

“The response from the State Emergency Service (SES) was immaculate and the partnership between them, the Nambucca Valley Council and other emergency services such as the Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue and the Police worked incredibly well,” said Member for Oxley Michael Kemp.

Mr Kemp’s own social media pages have also drawn praise from many in the community, who were appreciative of the ‘most likely’ and ‘worst case’ scenarios provided by the State Member as he liaised with emergency services across the electorate.

Community radio station 2NVR, who developed their own emergency procedures during the 2019/20 bushfires, were able to remain on air and relay information taken from the SES and Council websites and social media pages.

Some 2NVR presenters have the ability to broadcast from home so, even when it became difficult to reach their Tewinga Studios, the station was still able to provide a medium for keeping the public informed despite not being an official emergency broadcaster.

While the Nambucca Valley escaped this weather event comparatively unscathed, the potential remains for repeat occurrences in the future.

A tropical cyclone coming as far south as Alfred did is an unusual occurrence.

Independent climate organisation the Climate Council warns that most homes and infrastructure in South East Queensland and Northern NSW are not built to withstand cyclones and the destructive winds they bring.

“Scientists are concerned that, as our oceans heat up, cyclones may track further south on the East Coast,” Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie said.

By Mick BIRTLES