'So heartbreaking': Aerial footage shows aftermath of flood crisis
After the water cleared following devastating floods in NSW, thousands of tonnes of waste was left behind.
Aerial footage of the waste from flood damage in the Northern Rivers was shared by the NSW Government earlier this month showing the scale of the devastation.
A spokesperson for the Department of Regional NSW told Yahoo News Australia almost 22,000 truckloads of waste were cleared from flood-affected communities in NSW.
The thousands of truckloads amounted to around 101,000 tonnes of waste.
After the waste was removed from flood-hit towns in the Northern Rivers, including Lismore, it was deposited at temporary waste transfer facilities in Alstonville and Coraki.
The video shows the mounds of waste sitting at the temporary facilities, a visual of just how much was lost due to the torrential weather.
"This is a disaster of massive proportions," one person said in the comments of the video.
"It’s sad seeing so many hopes and dreams destroyed. This shows the sheer scale of the disaster," another person said.
Someone else said the scenes in the video were "horrible and heartbreaking" and that they had to throw everything away after the floods.
Being one of the many people who lost everything, they said the government could be doing more to help out.
"We need support, please don't forget Coraki and places like Bungawalbin, Whiporie, Woodburn and Wardell and many others," they said.
The clean-up effort is almost complete and was possible with the combined effort of emergency crews, local councils, NSW government agencies and various others.
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"By the end of April, bulk clean-up operations are expected to wrap up in the Local Government Areas of Tweed, Ballina, Byron, Lismore, Richmond Valley and the Hawkesbury," the spokesperson said.
"By end of May, flood waste will be cleared from waste facilities across these Local Government Areas, and the temporary waste transfer facilities in Alstonville, Coraki and Lismore will be stood down."
When the bulk clean-up operations finish up, normal waste collection, including council bulk waste collection, will return to as it was before the floods.
Though, there will still be remnant flood waste collection, which is being funded by the Commonwealth and state disaster funding.
The flooding event started in February this year and the weather event also impacted parts of Queensland.
A national emergency was declared in the wake of the floods and dozens of people died, thousands lost their homes and businesses.
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