At least three people have died in catastrophic flooding in New South Wales and about 50,000 people are isolated by flood waters, with several hundred people having been rescued by emergency services.
The Conversation has published a series of maps showing the extent of current and predicted floods, with further extreme weather expected.
Meanwhile, agencies and emergency services have been urged to prioritise support for First Nations People with disability.
Statement by First Peoples Disability Network
Communities across the Mid North coast of NSW continue to be impacted by intense rainfall and life-threatening flash flooding – and yet again, First Nations people with disability are an afterthought in emergency planning.
Areas affected include Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Taree, Kempsey, Woolgoolga, Sawtell, Dorrigo, Wingham, Nambucca, and Yarrowitch. NSW SES is also responding to major flooding along the Hastings, Gloucester, Williams, and Paterson Rivers.
First Peoples Disability Network (FPDN) is urgently calling on state agencies and emergency services to immediately prioritise inclusive support for our mob living with disability.
We continue to see the same gaps repeated in disaster response: no clear evacuation plans for people with mobility restrictions, limited access to community centres, inaccessible information, and essential supplies not reaching those who need them most.
NSW emergency agencies are already required – under the National Disability Strategy, the Sendai Framework and Article 11 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – to ensure equal safety in disasters.
The Disability-Inclusive Emergency Management (DIEM) Toolkit released by the Commonwealth gives them a ready-made blueprint, yet implementation on the ground remains concerning. Life-sustaining and independence-enabling items are often missing from relief drops (list at end of release).
Research after the 2017 flooding in Northern Rivers also showed that people with disability were more likely to still displaced six months after the floods.
FPDN is calling for the following urgent actions:
- Evacuation plans that clearly account for the needs of people with profound mobility impairments and disabilities.
- Access to medications, essential health treatments, and liquid nutrition for those who rely on them.
- Deployment of disability-specific supports on the ground in affected communities, including culturally safe assistance.
- Distribution of essential supplies such as nappies, asthma medication, hygiene products, mosquito repellent, and baby formula to impacted families.
If you are a First Nations person with disability — or know someone in need of urgent support – including access to basic essentials such as hygiene products, medications, or baby products, please contact:
FPDN Advocacy Line: 1800 006 455
Email: advocacy@fpdn.org.au
SES for floods and storms: 132 500
In life-threatening situations: 000 or TTY 106
For evacuation centre info and updates, visit the NSW Aboriginal Land Council:
https://alc.org.au/newsroom/network-messages/update-major-flooding-continues-across-the-mid-
north-coast/
Life-sustaining and independence-enabling items often missing from relief drops:
- CPAP machines, BiPAP units, ventilator tubing & filters
- Portable oxygen cylinders and concentrators, spare regulators
- Incontinence pads, catheters, uridomes, colostomy bags & wipes
- Menstrual products (tampons, pads, period underwear)
- Wheelchairs, shower chairs, ramps, transfer boards, spare tyres & chargers for power chairs
- Prescription glasses & adaptive low-vision aids
- Assistance-animal food, leads, harnesses, medication and ID paperwork
- Texture-modified foods and thickened fluids for people with swallowing disorders (dysphagia)
- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices, chargers and backup batteries
- Hoists and slings
- Walking frames, crutches and canes
- Prosthetics and orthotics
FPDN asks NSW Health, Resilience NSW and the SES to pre-position these items in evacuation centres and include them in all emergency supply lists, with culturally safe distribution through Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations (ACCOs).
See Croakey’s archive of articles on health, disasters and extreme weather events
