DISASTER-DECLARED towns like Maitland and Dungog breathed a sigh of relief yesterday, while on the other side of the Hunter River, suburbs that succumbed to rising floodwaters have been left in the lurch.
Member for Port Stephens Kate Washington has called on Premier Dominic Perrottet to extend the Natural Disaster Declaration to the area, as he and Minister for Emergency Services and Flood Recovery Steph Cooke see the devastation on the ground in Maitland today.