By Isla Evans, ABC News
A flooded street in Port Macquarie on Wednesday evening. Photo: ABC News / Matt Coble
The body of a man has been found in a flooded home northeast of Taree on the New South Wales Mid North Coast.
Police said emergency service crews were called to a property at Moto at about 3pm on Wednesday.
Manning-Great Lakes Police District officers have commenced an investigation after the body of a 63-year-old man was found in a home on North Moto Road.
The district has been pelted by torrential rain over the last three days.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) gauge at Taree airport has recorded 491 millimetres of rain over the last 72 hours.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has posted his condolences in a statement on social media.
"This is devastating news that a man has died at a residence impacted by flooding on the New South Wales Mid North Coast," he said.
"The thoughts of all Australians are with his loved ones and the community at this time."
It is devastating to hear the tragic news that a man has died at a residence impacted by flooding on the New South Wales Mid North Coast.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) May 21, 2025
The thoughts of all Australians are with his loved ones and the community at this time.
A massive rescue operation is continuing across the NSW Mid North Coast on Thursday, where thousands of residents remain isolated by record flooding.
SES spokesperson Andrew Edmunds said emergency service crews had carried out 379 flood rescues across the region since 5am Wednesday.
"[There are] around about 100 to 150 incidents that we are yet to get to, just because access is not really possible at the moment," he said.
"In some locations we still have very fast flowing water, which makes it too dangerous to put boats on the water.
"In other locations the rivers have risen to high for us to get vehicles in such as out high-clearance vehicles and of course if the weather doesn't allow us to use air assets, then that really does slow things down."
More than 350 people were rescued by emergency services on Wednesday. Photo: Supplied / Fire and Rescue NSW
NSW Premier Chris Minns has told the ABC there is a "massive emergency service contingent on the Mid North Coast".
"There are 2500 emergency service workers, including 2200 SES volunteers and professionals that are onsite," he said.
"Over 500 vehicles and boasts, 13 helicopters, hundreds of drones, so this is a major operation."
An estimated 50,000 people have been warned to prepare for isolations, as widespread areas of rain, with locally intense falls, have led to new evacuation warnings across much of the region.
In the Kempsey CBD, floodwater from the Macleay River has overtopped the levee and is still rising.
The SES is coordinating a multi-agency response on the ground to evacuate the area, which includes several hotels.
Major flooding is also expected to continue at Settlement Point, Macksville and Port Macquarie today.
SES State Duty Commander, Assistant Commissioner Colin Malone, said in a statement that conditions overnight had been challenging.
He said people were still waiting to be rescued in Taree, Glenthorne, Oxley Island and Moto.
"Our crews have been working through the night to complete flood rescues, but our message to people still awaiting rescue, is to remain in safe locations, away from flood waters in dry locations if possible," Assistant Commissioner Malone said.
"While dozens of rescues have been completed overnight, they continue to be received."
Water covers Hastings River Drive at Port Macquarie. Photo: ABC Mid North Coast / Emma Siossian
More rain to come
Torrential rain has been recorded across the region.
Almost 300mm has been received at Moparrabah, west of Kempsey, since 9am Wednesday.
Other intense falls include 286mm at Bellingen, and 218mm at Thora.
Widespread 24-hour rainfall totals of between 100mm and 150mm are forecast again today, but higher localised totals of between 200mm and 300mm are expected in some areas.
Locations which may be affected include Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Woolgoolga, Sawtell and Dorrigo.
An isolated dairy farmer from Vacy, in the Dungog Shire, was forced to dump thousands of litres of fresh milk this week due to flooding.
Farmer David Williams said milk tankers could not access his property, and his cattle had been confined to sheds for days.
"Luckily we've had great support from the milk company, but it still breaks your heart seeing it go to waste," he said.
"The [sheds are the] only dry spot left on the farm."
Disaster assistance
BOM has forecast heavy, locally intense rainfall for the Mid North Coast, and parts of the Northern Rivers, Hunter, Northern Tablelands and North West Slopes and Plains forecast districts on Thursday.
The weather system is likely to deepen into a low-pressure system late Thursday or early Friday.
The BOM said the system was then expected to move south towards the Far South Coast by late Friday.
Essential Energy said it would begin aerial patrols around Taree on Thursday to assess the damage, as thousands of homes were without power.
Essential Energy Mid North Coast operations manager Rob Ridley said workers were waiting for flood waters to recede before beginning power infrastructure repairs.
"We will have aerial patrols up to give us a better view so we can get an understanding of where the faults are, and what we need to rectify," he said.
"We should be able to put some good plans in place to get them [power outages] rectified as soon as possible."
The federal and state governments yesterday activated disaster assistance for communities in 16 local government areas, including:
- Bellingen
- Central Coast
- Cessnock
- Clarence Valley
- Coffs Harbour
- Dungog
- Kempsey
- Lake Macquarie
- Maitland
- Mid Coast
- Nambucca
- Newcastle
- Port Macquarie
- Port Stephens
- Singleton
- Upper Hunter
- ABC News
