Parts of the NSW North Coast, in Australia, have been declared natural disaster areas after heavy rain and severe flooding. (Sydney Morning Herald 5th January 2008)
NSW Emergency Services Minister Nathan Rees has officially declared the Tweed and Kyogle areas natural disaster zones after visiting the region today. A spokesman for the minister says they're still considering natural disaster declarations for the Richmond valley and Lismore depending on whether more rain falls tonight.
Overnight some 500 people were evacuated from areas around Kyogle and South Murwillumbah where more than 300mm of rain fell in just three hours.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued flood warnings for the Tweed, Richmond, Wilsons, Bellinger, Orara, Bogan,Warrego and Paroo rivers.
Emergency Services Minister Nathan Rees says initial advice from SES crews in the region indicate that the flooding is going to be far worse than initially predicted. He says it's possible up to three thousand people will have to be evacuated from the towns and many caravan parks.
Parts of the 