More rain in flood-ravaged parts of northern New South Wales is creating headaches for communities already contending with massive damages to the region's road network.
A man died in floodwaters at Coaldale north of Grafton last night as storms dumped heavy rain over that region, while daily falls of up 25 millimetres are predicted across much of the North Coast over the weekend, becoming heavier in the early part of next week.
Byron Shire Council has confirmed that Huonbrook Road, which sits above a landslip, will be closed completely during the rain and most likely afterwards until the area is deemed safe for vehicles.
The council is advising residents to plan ahead and leave cars on the lower side of the landslip before the rain hits, as access for locals needing to leave the area will again be reduced to a bushwalking track.
Huonbrook resident Lilith Christopherson said the community was not too concerned because it was used to being off-grid, and had worked together to look after each other since the flood began.
"We are completely trapped," she said.
Years of work
In the Tweed area geotechnical assessments have begun on Scenic Drive, one of the most badly damaged roads in the shire, which will isolate some residents for short periods.
Tweed Shire Council roads and stormwater manager Danny Rose said the geotechnical investigations were an essential first step in designing permanent repairs for the road.
The council estimates damage to its road network could cost about $40 million and take up to two years to repair.
More than 1,700 repair jobs have already been logged.
Councils across the region are working overtime to tackle what is estimated to be more than $700m in damage to road infrastructure.
The hardest hit region is Lismore City Council, which estimates 90 per cent of its road network has been damaged, with a repair bill of up to $400m.
Council general manager John Walker said a third of the roads had been assessed and that 3,300 issues had been reported.
He said all levels of government would need to fund the mounting repair bill.
"We're not talking about just cracks in the road, we're talking about whole roads that have disappeared, fallen off the side of the mountain," Mr Walker said.
"As a city we haven't got a hope in hell of delivering it, as we know we struggled with the road network in the past anyway."
Mr Walker said he had never seen such widespread destruction of a city.
"I've never seen anything like what's happened in Lismore in my career at all," Mr Walker said.
"I mean, I've been involved in disasters, but to see what's happened, to see the affects on roads, the damage to sewerage and water is just unprecedented and we can only get out of it if all three levels of government work together to fund and deliver it."
Perfect storm
Byron Shire Council is estimating its repair bill will be more than $100m, with some residents in the upper reaches of the shire still unable to drive out.
Infrastructure services director Phil Holloway said one of his biggest concerns was the widespread nature of the disaster, which meant neighbouring councils would be competing for resources, staff, contractors and geotechnical engineers.
"It's going to be difficult getting anything done in a timely manner," he said.
In other parts of the region, Richmond Valley Council's repair bill sits at $100m, Kyogle Shire at $60m, Clarence Valley at $10m and Ballina Shire is looking at $2m.
Soil scientist John Grant said the sheer volume of water that fell during the floods created perfect conditions for the landslides that damaged so many roads.
"Water adds mass, and if you add mass the gravitational effect is increased," he said.
"You're also adding lubrication, which decreases the friction, and you're also adding a degree of buoyancy, which also impacts on the frictional component which holds the material in place."
Dr Grant said work was being done in soil and geology fields to better predict where landslides would occur.
