Floods Threaten N.S.W. Town

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30808, 21 July 1965, Page 17

Floods Threaten N.S.W. Town

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) SYDNEY, July 20. Floods threaten the north coast of New South Wales tonight as the Richmond and Tweed rivers—swollen by 18 inches of rain in the last 36 hours continue to rise.

The Richmond river broke through floodbanks at Lismore, and at 36 feet is 4 feet above level tonight, with rain still falling. Water is running about two feet deep in Molesworth

street, one of Lismore’s main shopping thoroughfares. Scores of families have been moved and Army trucks are standing by to evacuate other families if necessary. Owners and store employees worked last night and this morning moving goods to higher grounds or placing them on higher shelves. At the Lismore Post Office, switchboard operators and technicians prepared to be marooned. They stockpiled food and milk and brought extra clothes and blankets from their homes. From dawn today farmers downstream from LiSmpre at Coraki and Woodburn drove stock to high ground to escape the water. Up to 11 inches of rain has fallen in south-eastern Queensland and the Darling

Downs since Sunday night, and the Brisbane Weather Bureau says there would be more. Violent rains and gales lashed the southern Queensland coast last night with winds up to 80 miles an hour, caused by a cyclonic depression. Brisbane had 760 points in the 24 hours to 9 a.m. today —the highest 24-hour total for July ever recorded.