Council assessing damage from rain deluge

Published on 13 February 2020

Byron Shire Council staff are this week assessing the damage caused by the recent heavy rain.

From Thursday 6 February to Monday 10 February Council received 170 after hours calls for help for a wide range of problems including flooding, road closures and water and sewer issues.

“There is no doubt that the intensity of the rain has caused damage to our road network and we are asking for people to take extra care on the roads because there will be hazards such as potholes,” Phil Warner, Acting Director Infrastructure Services, said. 

Pothole patching is a priority as weather permits and people are asked to use the REPORT IT tab on the home page of the Council’s website (www.byron.nsw.gov.au) to make a pothole notification.

“The recent rainfall figures were quite extraordinary,” Mr Warner said.

“Staff installed a rain gauge at the railway station at Byron Bay when work on the Byron bypass started and 350mm was recorded in that gauge for 24 hours to 9am Friday, 7 February.

“Council will be reviewing the impact of the weather event on the Byron Shire and see where we, as an organisation, can make improvements and a part of this review will include the drain network and our maintenance program,” Mr Warner said.

“I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to our local SES teams who responded to people’s calls for help, and to our staff who also worked around the clock responding to emergencies,” he said.

For media enquiries call Annie Lewis, Media and Communications Coordinator, on 6626 7300.