First the floods, now this! House bursts into flames surrounded by floodwater – after ‘one-in-1000-year rain bomb’ strikes New South Wales
- Image showed Lismore house in northern NSW completely engulfed in flames
- Home burst into flames during the region’s unprecedented deluge this week
- House’s resident took the photo as she was moved to safety by a rescue boat
- The death toll from state’s major floods in the region rose to four on Wednesday
A photo of a house in flames while submerged in floodwaters has laid bare the devastation caused by Australia’s flooding crisis.
The home in Lismore in northern NSW burst into flames as the region’s unprecedented deluge this week left the city completely inundated by floodwater.
The photo was taken by the house’s resident from a rescue boat as she was moved to safety, her aunt said.
A confronting photo has shown a house in Lismore, northern NSW engulfed by flames while submerged in floodwaters
‘This is a picture of a young niece’s house – taken as she was being boated away,’ the aunt wrote on Facebook after the photo was shared online.
The confronting scenes come as the death toll from the floods in the region rose to four on Wednesday after a man’s body was found in the Lismore CBD.
The body of a woman in her 80s was found inside her South Lismore home on Tuesday afternoon, hours after another woman’s body was found in her home nearby.
One of the victims has been identified as Lismore country singer Marge Graham.
There are fears the bodies of more trapped residents will be found on Wednesday as the massive clean up effort begins.
‘Today’s going to be probably the hardest day in Lismore’s history to be honest with you,’ Lismore mayor Steve Krieg said.
Lismore in northern NSW was left submerged in floodwaters as an unprecedented rain event barreled down the state’s coast this week
‘Today’s all about rescue and recovery.’
Thousands of residents in nearby Ballina have now been forced to evacuate, including hospital patients.
The entire town is on evacuation alert after the Richmond River burst its banks.
Dangerous weather conditions are also expected on Wednesday from south of Newcastle in the Hunter to north of Eden on the South Coast and reach inland as far as the Blue Mountains.
The death toll from the floods in northern NSW rose to four on Wednesday. Pictured is a flooded street in Lismore
An east coast low is crawling down the coast of NSW (pictured), bringing intense rainfall. The most intense rainfall is in purple, but the rains are likely to miss parts of the east coast
Penrith in Sydney’s west has copped a 67.8mm drenching in the 24 hours up until 8.30am Wednesday with more rain on the way.
Other hard hit suburbs included Holsworthy (66.8mm), Lucas Heights (54.7mm), Terrey Hills (44.6mm) and Camden (44.4mm).
Warragamba Dam was at 99 per cent capacity on Tuesday and began spilling 3am Wednesday.
The predicted spill rate is up to 250 gigalitres a day in the coming weeks, roughly half the amount leaked during the floods that devastated western Sydney 12 months ago.
Advertisement
