Australia Weather News

Emergency services are searching for a man who has been washed into floodwaters in northern NSW.

About 2.20pm on Friday, emergency services responded to reports that a four-wheel drive had been washed off a bridge into fast running water whilst driving across Wild Cattle Creek Bridge off Old Coramba Road, Megan — approximately 23 kilometres north-east of Dorrigo.

The male driver was able to exit the vehicle and secure himself to a tree branch approximately 30 metres from the river bank.

Officers from Coffs/Clarence Police District were able to talk with the man.

Shortly after 3pm the man was swept from the tree and seen to go beneath the water where he has not been sighted since.

Premier thanks locals for evacuating

Earlier today, NSW Premier Chris Minns thanked residents for complying with evacuation orders issues ahead of Tropical Cyclone Alfred making landfall, with 19,000 people asked to leave their homes.

The State Emergency Service (SES) has issued 18 flood evacuation orders across northern NSW.

Speaking in Lismore, the premier thanked the public for listening to emergency services and evacuating their homes.

"There has been widespread community support and compliance with evacuation orders in the Northern Rivers," he said.

"It is an example of the public rallying to the SES’ message.

"Yesterday afternoon, thousands of people, literally thousands of people, were asked to leave their homes, the message we’re reporting today is that has happened."

People in impacted areas are being advised to stay with family and friends, with Mr Minns describing evacuation centres as "more of a life raft than a cruise ship".

The wild weather brought by Cyclone Alfred has already caused widespread damage to homes and infrastructure.

The SES has already attended more than 1,100 incidents and carried out five flood rescues in the past 24 hours and is urging people not to drive into floodwaters.

Thousands without power

Energy Minister Penny Sharpe has warned that thousands of people in northern NSW could be without power for days.

As of 4pm today, more than 38,000 homes and businesses are without power in the Northern Rivers and Far North Coast.

Essential Energy, the electricity distributor for the region, is warning residents that due to severe weather, it is currently unsafe to access and repair damaged power infrastructure.

"Households and businesses need to prepare for the real possibility that they will be without power for an extended period of time," Ms Sharpe said.

Large stretches of the main highway along the North Coast of NSW, the M1, was closed due to fallen tress, with Roads Minister Jenny Atchison claiming given the forecast it will likely remain closed for weeks. 

Meanwhile, 36,000 homes in the region are without power and Essential Energy is working to restore services.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has sent Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel to the NSW Northern Rivers.

Mr Albanese confirmed on Friday morning he approved a request for 120 ADF personnel to depart immediately for NSW.

"They will support the SES with road clearance, sandbagging, clearing access to critical infrastructure, damage assessments and essential services," he said.

The prime minister said the Australian community "has the back" of communities right across the region.

"The people of Lismore, for example, get knocked down, they get up, they get knocked down, they get up," he said.

"And now they have this that they're confronted with."

More than 300 schools closed

Meanwhile, NSW Deputy Premier and Education Minister Prue Car confirmed 343 schools in NSW were closed ahead of the cyclone's arrival.

"With the event of this tropical cyclone coming over the weekend, and then the impact after that, the schools that are currently closed will remain non-operational on Monday," she said.

Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) spokesperson Jane Golding said on Friday morning that Cyclone Alfred was located about160 kilometres off the Queensland coast and is moving west at a speed of 6 kilometres per hour.

Residents in Lismore's CBD, north and south, were told to make their way to the nearest evacuation centre at Southern Cross University by Thursday evening.

Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg said the situation brought back traumatic memories.

"It's a community on the edge at the moment," Cr Krieg said.

"It's too close to the 2022 floods, it's a devastating thing to actually have to watch and live through again."

Inland from Byron Bay at Kyogle, local Shane Standfield said he was almost ready to go after being on stand-by during the week.

"The community is helping, everyone's here pitching in … Everyone has to stay safe and if you're asked to leave, just leave," he said.

Helping Mr Stanfield was his cousin Kirk Welsh, who said they had been getting organised during the week. 

"We've done this a number of times now … hopefully it won't do too much damage but you have to roll with the punches," he said.