Kempsey SES volunteers had a relatively light load of jobs caused by the wild weather.

“We really did dodge a bullet avoiding the worst of the rainfall,” spokesman Greg Gill said.

“We had four roof jobs, five tree jobs and a search and rescue on Friday night in the state forest south of Kempsey.

“The search and rescue involved looking for two four-wheel drives that were lost and bogged in the forest.

“It took a couple of hours but eventually the people were located safe and well and brought back to town unharmed.

“All up over the weekend local SES volunteers put in 385 volunteer hours which was split between about 20 people or so.”

NSW SES Mid North Coast deputy region controller Tony Day said throughout the region SES volunteers responded to 72 calls for assistance with sandbagging, or properties damaged by fallen trees and heavy rainfall. 

“Since Wednesday of last week, when a Flood Watch was issued for the area, 172 NSW SES from the Mid North Coast region have contributed over 6000 volunteer hours,” Mr Day said.

“This response comes on the back of an extensive nine-day storm clean-up in the Tea Gardens area, together with flood operations in Bulahdelah and Stroud.” 

The weather station at Kempsey Airport recorded 185.4mm of rain from Friday until 9am yesterday.

The river peaked at 4.84m on Sunday morning, before quickly receding.

At Smithtown the floodwater peaked at 3.2metres at 10am on Sunday, just below the minor flood level. 

All bridges on the Macleay River from Bellbrook to Sherwood were submerged by the water, which rose quickly.

Mr Gill said the localised nature of the heaviest rainfall made it difficult to predict how rapidly the Macleay River would rise.

“There were isolated pockets in the upper Macleay River catchment that were reporting very heavy rainfall,” Mr Gill said.

“Some of this was in areas where there is no official rain gauge so we rely on an unofficial network of residents reading their rain gauge and phoning us with the measurement.”

Kempsey Shire Council’s latest flood update bulletin was issued at 7.20am yesterday by Engineering Works manager Tony Green.

He said the water was falling quickly and submerged bridges would be inspected for damage and reopened as soon as possible.

“Low level bridges at Bellbrook, Toorooka, Temagog, Turners Flat and Sherwood are emerging but will remain closed until they can be inspected and cleared of debris,” Mr Green said.

“Just as the river levels rose quickly they have fallen more quickly than expected. Residents are advised not to attempt to cross while there is water over the decks as there is the possibility of structural damage to the bridges.

“Bridges on Nulla Nulla Creek Rd and in the Hickeys Creek-Millbank area are all open but should be used with caution.

"Council teams will be progressively working throughout Monday to inspect and repair any damage to roads and bridges and to re-open the low level bridges as soon as possible.

Mr Day said the busy operational period for the NSW SES Mid North Coast Region came soon after a successful recruitment drive last month, with 68 new recruits joining the volunteer emergency service.

“NSW SES is always seeking new members to help meet the growing demand for the wide range of emergency services the organisation provides to the community,” Mr Day said 

“Anyone interested in joining the NSW SES can call 1800 201 100 for a free membership application pack or contact NSW SES Mid North Coast region geadquarters on 6592 5800.”