Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews worked fast to avert a gas emergency in floodwaters at Taree this morning.
Firefighters from the Taree Fire Station were called to the Taree Aquatic Club in Macquarie Street around 8am where they were confronted with three leaking 210-kilogram LPG tanks.
FRNSW said battered by wild weather conditions and floating in floodwaters, the cylinders were attached to the club only by copper tubing, and were threatening to break free.
"The fire crew tested gas levels, put on breathing apparatus and waded to the side of the building where it sealed the tanks and rendered the scene safe," a FRNSW spokesman said.
Earlier today, the Taree crew went to the rescue of an 81-year-old woman, cornered in her Gill Street unit by floodwaters.
The firefighters guided the woman, recovering from a recent operation, to safety, the FRNSW spokesman said.
At Forster, FRNSW firefighters helped a mother and three children escape floodwaters which were threatening a local resort.
The spokesperson for FRNSW said the distressed family was unable to open the door to its bungalow cabin in Tea Tree Road, and evacuate, due to rising floodwaters.
Firefighters gathered the guests and safely escorted them to their nearby car.
More than 300mm of rain fell in the Forster/Taree area overnight.
