In flood waters near Kempsey, Fire and Rescue NSW crews rescued two stricken adults and six working dogs with a makeshift a bamboo fence raft after a four kilometre round trip.

NEW South Wales’ peak farm body is encouraging flood-affected farmers to report damage as soon as possible and access support services as recovery efforts begin across the state’s Hunter and Mid North Coast regions.

Affected farmers can report any flood damage to their properties to NSW DPIRD via this survey to help get further support moving as quickly as possible. Assistance with completing the survey can be sought from your region’s Local Land Services office.

NSW Farmers vice president Rebecca Reardon said filling out the survey would give the NSW Government a clear understanding of the damage caused by record floods across the Hunter and Mid North Coast.

“We know your time is limited and so is your connectivity, but if you have had infrastructure or machinery damage, loss of livestock, crops or fodder as a result of these floods, we really encourage you take a few minutes to report it through the short survey,” she said.

“This information helps authorities understand the scale and scope of a natural disaster, so they can then target resources and assistance to that area.

“These floods have broken records in a bad way, and it’s important we communicate that back to the government so we can get the assistance we need, Mrs Reardon said.

“It’s going to take an unprecedented effort to get our farm communities back on their feet after this disaster, but our government must back us up so we can keep on producing the food that feeds the 25 million people in our nation alone.”

NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin said emergency fodder, veterinary support and a range of other services could be accessed from state government authorities by farmers dealing with the effects of the major flood event.

“We know farmers did everything they could to prepare for this disaster, but the reality is these floods have left colossal damage and devastation in their wake,” Mr Martin said.

“Dreadful connectivity has made it very difficult for many to stay in touch, but there is real help available and please don’t hesitate to reach out for support when you can.

“The NSW Agriculture and Animal Services Hotline is up and running to provide emergency assistance with livestock and animals, and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, as well as Local Land Services, are sharing what support is available via their social media channels.

“Local evacuation centres are also open to provide emergency accommodation, food and social support, and recovery centres have opened as a one-stop shop for all flood resources and assistance in this time.”

Mr Martin said mental health services were also readily available if farmers or community members needed their support.

“This flooding has been tough on our communities, and we want you to know help is just a phone call or message away, if you can access that,” Mr Martin said.

“Lifeline is on 13 11 14 for crisis support any time, and we have a whole host of other mental health services on the NSW Farmers website that are here to help in this time.

“While many are only just beginning to assess the full extent of the damage, we know communities will need all the help we can get to recover from this – so stay safe, look out for each other, and together, we’ll get through this.”

A list of emergency contacts, health and wellbeing services and other useful links are available on the NSW Farmers website. In life-threatening situations, call 000. For immediate assistance with livestock and animals – including veterinary support, emergency fodder and carcase disposal – contact the NSW Agriculture and Animal Services Hotline on 1800 814 647.

Thousands lend a hand in recovery effort

More than 4000 people representing NSW Government agencies are on-the-ground across the Hunter and Mid North Coast with volunteers completing rapid impact assessments, coordinating a clean-up blitz, repairing roads and undertaking other recovery work.

The NSW Government teams include 2220 State Emergency Service volunteers assisting with recovery efforts, with 350 people supporting from the Rural Fire Service, and around 250 people from Fire and Rescue NSW.

There are also 650 staff and contractors from Transport for NSW, working across the road and transport network to restore access to roads.

Crews have already removed more than 1,500 tonnes of debris from the state road network. So far around 5500 pothole repairs have been completed including on major roads like the Pacific, Oxley, Gwydir and New England Highways.

More than 20 NSW Maritime staff are also undertaking 63 urgent tasks ranging from evacuations, transfers and assessment of hazards, and carrying out 420 impact assessments of navigational aids on waterways that have been damaged or displaced on the Manning, Hasting and Camden Haven Rivers.

An additional 24 police have been sent to the region to bolster community confidence, including conducting proactive patrols to deter looting.

There are also about 2000 people from councils, electricity companies, telco companies and spontaneous volunteers supporting the recovery effort in impacted areas.

The SES is coordinating these teams of community volunteers to ensure the goodwill and hard work makes the maximum impact with clean-up activities.

So far, more than 10,000 cubic metres of waste has been removed from impacted areas.

An additional 76 interstate personnel arrived yesterday from emergency services agencies across the country, bringing the total current interstate support numbers to over 230. In addition, a contingent has arrived from New Zealand.

Around seventy personnel from the Australian Defence Force are in the field, bolstering recovery efforts even further.