MidCoast Council is urging residents to stay safe and take heed of emergency warnings while widespread flooding continues to impact the region.
Mayor Claire Pontin said with many communities still isolated and emergency response personnel working around the clock to ensure people were safe, it was important not to put further strain on these services by placing yourself or others in harm's way.
"Please don't enter floodwater, either in your car or by foot," said Mayor Pontin.
"Currently the levels are still higher than they were during the peak of the 2021 floods, so it's a dangerous situation, and the water is still moving rapidly in parts.
"Floodwater can also carry a lot of contaminants, including sewage and other hazardous material, so there's a risk of serious illness associated with entering it as well."
Mayor Pontin said food scarcity was also becoming an issue with many communities cut off, but work was underway to get supplies through to these areas.
MidCoast Council's Administration and Customer Service Centre in Taree, Yalawanyi Ganya, is currently being used as the Emergency Operations Centre for the region, with Council working closely to support the Police and SES as they respond to the disaster.
Council's Water & Sewer and Roads teams have also been working tirelessly to keep essential services running and manage the impacts of the flood, including extensive damage to the already strained road network.
Mayor Pontin said there was no getting around the long hard recovery process that lay ahead.
"It's going to take months just to make things safe and accessible again after a disaster of this extent," she said.
"Beyond that, we're looking at a much longer timeframe to get things back to the way they were, but before we even contemplate that we need to get past the immediate dangers this flood presents."
People are urged to call 000 to report an emergency and 132 500 to contact the SES for emergency assistance. It's also important to refer to official sources for the latest information, including www.ses.nsw.gov.au to stay up-to-date on the flooding and www.livetraffic.com to stay up-to-date about road closures.
Please don't report emergencies on social media as those who can help may not get the message.
Mayor Pontin said once floodwaters start to recede, Council will begin inspecting the roads to see what can be re-opened. Transport for NSW will also need to perform engineering assessments of the Dawson River and Martin bridges to determine whether they're safe to use.
People wishing to donate to those affected by the floods are encouraged to visit www.givit.org.au
