TRANSCRIPT
Vanessa MacMullen has run a business in Lismore for nearly nine years and she's been through a few floods in that time.
Despite ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred still impacting other parts of Northern New South Wales, Lismore residents have been told they are safe to return home.
But Ms Macmullen doesn't know whether she should start loading her goods back to the shop.
"There are some shop owners putting their stuff back in, but just sort of...we've got more rain on the way, and with the levy so close, really the water still fairly close to the top, it's kind of a bit could go either way, so still hanging out a little bit to see what happens."
The shop owner says it's a big relief to see the floodwaters didn't breach the river nearby, on Saturday.
She says the flood has reminded her of 2022, when the town was inundated in damaging floods from intense rainfall.
"It is traumatic, and you kind of thinking, well, can I come back, will I come back, too four months to get the shop back up and running again last time, I can't, I don't think I can do that again, so at what level is the level that are safe, that's enough."
Despite downgrading to a Tropical Low when it crossed the Australian coastline, by Sunday, ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred had knocked out power from thousands of homes.
Around 16,000 properties remained without electricity on Sunday afternoon.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns is urging residents to remain alert.
"I want to make it clear that we are not out of the wood yet, we are watching very closely the river system in the northern rivers, there are still a lot of rain out there, there are still a lot of rivers, swollen rivers. although there are obviously some encouraging signs and the latest information out of the will is obviously encouraging, it's also important to know that the hazard weather watch in many coastal communities has been lifted as the result of the cyclone moving through."
Over the weekend, two Australian Defence Force vehicles rolled off the road at Lismore, injuring 13 people inside.
The troops are based at Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the 32 soldiers on board the two trucks are heroes.
"For the extraordinary members of the Australian Defences Forces there are no easy days, everyday could bring danger, everyday carries risk and yet they step up and face them for us, the Australian people, for our nation and for their fellow Australians. These men and women are heroes who were on their way to help people in need. They were doing this at a time when some of their own families were bearing the brunt of Alfred.”
Flood warnings remain for parts of far north New South Wales, but rain is expected to ease on Monday.
In Queensland, the Gold Coast and Brisbane have been battered with heavy rainfalls and massive power blackouts.
Over 200,000 properties remain out of power across southeast Queensland on Sunday afternoon.
Over 260 Optus phone towers are without power.
An emergency declaration was issued for Hervey Bay on Sunday, which was hit with 30 centimetres of rain over the weekend.
Police were called for rescue operations there.
Queensland Premier, David Crisafuli, is also urging people to stay safe, as parts of the state remain at risk of flooding.
"We are gonna continue to see that rainfall in the short term. And it is important that we continue to do the things that has been seen that so far that responds, keep people safe, which is always the most important thing as we do."
Mr Crisafuli says the emergency service received over 1,000 calls on Sunday, and the police sent out extra 100 members to support in rescue efforts.
The premier also says hundreds of rescue workers, electricians and traffic engineers have been sent to repair electricity poles and wiring and re-open roads that have been closed in the disaster.
The Queensland government is also working closely with the federal government, to distribute the hardship payments to residents affected by the natural emergency.
"We are activating a number of Queensland community recovery hubs as we said we would in the planning, it was underway for that to make sure that seamless transition from response to recovery occurs. First of those will be open very shortly, and we will be communicating that with Queenslanders, we already have 800 staff prepared to go, and that's meaning 24/7 hotline, and if you do need that assistance, 1800 173349. That's everything, from mental health support, financial assistance, if you are having problems with insurance, those hotlines are there to help. And we are determined to navigate you through this disaster."
