Former rugby league player returns to 'devastation,' the ADF called upon to aid NSW flood recovery

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The army has been dispatched to help with a mammoth clean-up effort after flooding wiped out at least 400 homes on Australia’s east coast.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australian Defence Force personnel would be dispatched from Tuesday to help with recovery and clean-up efforts.

“The presence of ADF personnel on the ground brings enormous confidence to communities that are really doing it tough,” he told reporters on Monday.

“It’s a sign of how seriously we, as a nation, are taking what is a catastrophic event.”

Ex-rugby player lending a hand

Former rugby league player Matt Adamson is among the volunteers helping flood-affected communities in NSW.

Born in Taree on the mid-north coast, which has borne the brunt of deadly floods, Adamson described the area around the town as “devastation”.

A man in a red shirt holds some tools in front of a digger, speaking into an SBS microphone.

Ex-rugby league player Matt Adamson said he felt “emotional” witnessing the flood damage in his hometown. Source: SBS News / SBS

The ex-Penrith Panthers star drove overnight down from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland to help with the clean-up and said he felt “emotional” seeing the aftermath of the floods firsthand.

“It was a beautiful place to grow up and be raised as a young kid. So there are a lot of good memories and fond memories,” he told SBS News.

“So to come back and lend a hand here, I think, is really important. And I’m sure there are plenty of other people who are doing the same.”

Greater support needed

On his drive down from Queensland, Adamson bought rakes, gumboots, and other much-needed supplies for the locals.

He plans to stay in Taree for three days, helping in any way he can before returning to his family.

“There’s greater support needed. Just the fundamentals like tools and gumboots and just simplistic things like that,” he said.

Albanese told communities affected by floods that all three levels of government “have got your back”.

He confirmed 70 Australian Defence Force personnel would be on the ground on Tuesday, ready to assist locals along the mid-north coast.

A team of 100 Disaster Relief Australia workers would also be operating in the area by the end of the week.

“They will be involved in clean-up, in debris removal, in welfare checks and re-establishing critical infrastructure that is so important for these communities,” Albanese said.

A Disaster Recovery Allowance of up to 13 weeks in income support will be available for affected communities from Monday.

More than 32,000 people remained isolated by floodwaters on Sunday evening, and about 400 properties have been deemed inhabitable or destroyed, according to the NSW State Emergency Service.

But communities could face a new weather threat in the coming days.

A cold front with strong winds of 60 to 80km/h due on Monday and Tuesday could hamper recovery efforts, cause damage and bring down trees, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.