A disabled mother was trapped and at risk of drowning in her submerged home as her town suffered its worst flooding in living memory.
Sam Connor shared a tweet about 10.20am on Monday on behalf of a distressed woman whose mother, Helen Parfitt, was trapped in her Lismore home.
Ms Parfitt suffers from muscular dystrophy and was stuck in her flooded home on top of a bunk bed.
A mother suffering from muscular dystrophy has trapped by floodwaters in her Lismore home on Monday
Resident’s homes in Lismore were inundated by floodwater after the collapse of the Wilson River levee
Lismore, northern NSW, residents were ordered to evacuate on Monday morning following the collapse of the town’s levee
‘Please help my mother is stuck inside the house about to drown, she has muscular dystrophy and can’t use her muscle please help,’ the desperate plea read.
‘She cannot climb to safety is in rising waters in her home on top of bunkbed.’
Within two hours the tweet was shared 600 times as users did their all to share the distressing message.
Emergency crews, SES, and locals have conducted a large-scale evacuation effort as flood water rises
Lismore residents were seen bundling belongings, pets, and loved ones into SES and local boats on Monday
Distressed locals were rescued from flood water by emergency crews and residents with boats
Fortunately, Ms Connor shared an hour later that Ms Parfitt had been rescued by State Emergency Service volunteers.
‘You are amazing, SES – thank you for what you do,’ she wrote, on behalf of Ms Parfitt’s relieved daughter.
Hundreds of other residents are trapped inside their homes, some heard desperately screaming for help until rescuers found them.
Others sat on the roofs of their homes hoping the floodwaters wouldn’t engulf them, as the SES and other emergency services plucked them to safety.
Residents in Lismore, northern NSW, were evacuated from the town on Monday morning following the collapse of the Wilson River levee.
Residents in Lismore, northern NSW, were evacuated from the town on Monday morning following the collapse of the Wilson River levee
Distressed locals had little time to prepare to evacuate Lismore amid heavy rain and rising flood water
Locals and SES crews rushed their boats to the town to help stranded residents.
Pets and loved ones were bundled into the small boats as rescue crews battled heavy rain and rising flood water.
Heartbreaking photos show soaking residents evacuating the town.
Lismore residents grabbed pets and loved ones as they evacuated the town on Monday morning
Locals have reported hearing screams from residents trapped inside their homes as rescue efforts continue.
SES volunteers had carried out 70 flood rescues and evacuated some 15,000 people from NSW’s north coast since torrential rain began falling on Tuesday, Premier Dominic Perrottet told reporters on Sunday.
‘We know that whilst there might be blue skies in certain parts of NSW that does not mean that there will not be significant flooding events that occur over the course of this week,’ he said.
One NSW life has already been lost to the weather, with a man killed when his Land Cruiser was carried away by floodwater.
Richmond Police District warned residents to avoid driving in floodwater and to evacuate as soon as possible
SES volunteers had carried out 70 flood rescues and evacuated some 15,000 people from NSW’s north coast since torrential rain began falling on Tuesday
Richmond Police District warned residents to avoid driving in floodwater and to evacuate as soon as possible.
‘Due to heavy flooding the Lismore CBD is inundated with water and is now off limits to all pedestrian and vehicular traffic,’ the warning reads.
‘Motorists are reminded NOT to drive through flood waters… for the safety of YOU and your FAMILY please evacuate the township now.’
Police will resume search efforts for a man who went missing in floodwaters in Lismore on Sunday.
Officers heard him calling out for help about 4pm but ‘lost sight of the man a short time later’.
