Good morning, it's Tuesday, March 1. Here's what you need to get going today.
The latest on the NSW flooding emergency
The SES says while the rain has eased across northern NSW, the widespread flood event is far from over — and the severe weather is moving south.
Here's what's happened overnight:
- Flood evacuation warnings were issued in Ballina — residents in low-lying parts of Ballina, North Ballina, West Ballina and areas south towards Wardell were told they must evacuate by 7:00am AEDT.
- The SES was forced to call off rescues in Lismore because conditions were too dangerous in the dark — now dawn has broken, they're sending out boats and choppers to look for stranded people
As of 6:00am local time, there were major flood warnings for:
- Tweed River — major flooding at Murwillumbah, Tumbulgum, and Chinderah
- Wilsons River — major flooding at Lismore
- Clarence River — major flooding at Grafton, Ulmarra and Maclean
- Orara River — moderate flooding is occurring at Glenreagh and major flooding is occurring at Coutts Crossing
- Richmond River — major flooding at Kyogle, Coraki, Bungawalbyn and Woodburn, and moderate flooding at Casino
The severe weather is headed south — it's forecast to intensify and move across the central and south coast later today and tomorrow, with warnings current from Newcastle down to Eden.
Check the Bureau of Meteorology's (BOM) NSW warnings summary for more detailed information.
Follow our rolling flood coverage in our live blog.
And here's what's happening in Queensland:
- There's still a major flood warning for Ipswich, with the Bremer River peaking at 16.7 metres
- The Brisbane River peaked at 3.41m in Brisbane City at about 9:00pm following high tide. It dropped slightly but the BOM warns major levels are likely again, with a peak of 3.7m expected on the next high tide between 9:00am and 10:00am
- And the Mary River reached 10.30m (major level) at Maryborough but the BOM warned it could peak at 10.5m this morning. Levels are falling in Gympie
- Meanwhile, there's still concerns that a crane on a barge could come loose in the Brisbane River:
What's happening in Ukraine?
- Talks between Ukraine and Russia to discuss a ceasefire were held at the Belarussian border, but they ended with no immediate agreements.
- However, a second round of talks could take place "in the near future"
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Meanwhile, authorities estimate roughly half a million people have left Ukraine for other parts of eastern Europe since the start of Russia's invasion — they've been streaming into countries like Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia
The news Australia is searching for
- Meghan Markle: Remember that dress the Duchess of Sussex wore during THAT interview with Oprah? Yep, people are still talking about that interview. And, in case you missed it, that dress was named the 2021 Dress of the Year by the Fashion Museum in Bath.
- Anger Test: The Multidimensional Anger Test is doing the rounds on TikTok and Twitter, with people sharing their results of a 38-question test which aims to map people's susceptibility to anger.
One more thing: Floods forced Nikita and Flyn's wedding venue to close one hour before the reception
Just before the music started for Nikita to walk down the aisle at the inner-city Brisbane registry on Sunday, the couple's South Bank reception venue called Flyn to cancel.
As they had their first official photos taken, their wedding guests arranged a new venue.
And two of their relatives drove to South Bank to rescue their wedding cake, just as police were starting to block off roads there.
Within an hour, the wedding party and 40 guests were enjoying drinks at a nearby hotel, which arranged a wedding table and reception in a cordoned-off area of one of its restaurants.
At 3:30pm, with news filtering through of the rising floodwaters, they sent their guests home.
"It was unforgettable. It wasn't the day of our dreams but I wouldn't change it — at all," Nikita said.
That's it for now
But we'll be back later on with more news!
ABC/wires
