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Main Arm marooned by flooding

WITH its hilly surroundings and steep valleys, Main Arm has seen its fair share of floods.

Margie Wheatley and her dog, Honey, searching for Mrs Wheatley’s missing cows at Main Arm.

WITH its hilly surroundings and steep valleys, Main Arm has seen its fair share of floods.

But this week’s inundation was like none the area’s long-time locals had ever seen.

“It was the biggest I have ever seen,” Main Arm Store owner Marianne Dichiera said.

In the six hours until 4pm on Wednesday, Mullumbimby recorded 160mm of rain.

By lunchtime on Wednesday, Main Arm Rd was completely cut off and the surrounding, low-lying paddocks resembled a wide and rapidly flowing brown river.

Mrs Dichiera, who has lived in the Main Arm area for more than a decade, said she had never seen the area flood like it did.

“It was pretty big. It came up to the road, all through the paddocks and was like rapids.

“Usually when you get a flood we get people coming through the paddocks, but this time they couldn’t even do that.

“(The water) subsided about 6pm (on Wednesday night). We only started seeing cars coming through this morning.”

The general store was buzzing yesterday as residents, who had been isolated by the floods during the week, were finally able to travel down the road for supplies.

A father and his daughter were making the long trek down Main Arm Rd to the general store at lunchtime yesterday.

“We are going to get some more supplies because it’s meant to be back with a vengeance,” the father said.

Margie Wheatley strolled along Main Arm Rd yesterday in search of her cows, which had sought higher ground somewhere on her property.

She said this week’s flood was also the biggest she had seen.

As did another resident, who woke to find rapids across his driveway.

“It came up pretty fast. It was a big one, probably the biggest one I have seen in my 30 years here,” he said.

source: Northern Star

Posted: Friday, January 27th, 2012 Under: Accommodation, Business, Byron Bay, Environment, Mullumbimby, News, People, Police Events, Property, Sources, Tweed Shire, activism, education, emergency information, health, volunteers. | Home |

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