THE BYRON SHIRE ECHO Advertising & news enquiries: Mullumbimby 02 6684 1777 Byron Bay 02 6685 5222 Fax 02 6684 1719
[email protected] [email protected] http://www.echo.net.au VOLUME 20 #07 TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2005 22,300 copies every week $1 at newsagents only CEREBRAL INUNDATION BY THE BUCKETFUL Natural disaster area status Hot bidding at FEHVA auction declared for Byron Shire Much of Byron Shire came and 15 to the Mullum RSL had been cut to much of fl ood water was three foot to a standstill on Thursday where they were registered Byron Shire’s north, parts of above the concrete slab as the area returned to its by the police and then bil- Ewingsdale, Federal, Binna under the [raised] house.’ former life as a wetland. leted in motels or in homes Burra, Tyagarah and Mul- With nowhere to move Creeks rose, lakes appeared for the night,’ said Noel lumbimby; the Pacifi c High- cars to Eve and her neigh- from nowhere and low lying McIveney from the Mullum way was blocked by flood bour watched as water fl owed areas became waterways as SES. waters in several places; into their vehicles, at the over a foot of rain fell in 24 Flood waters were so high Mullumbimby was virtually peak reaching the bottom of hours. in some areas that the SES cut off and Byron Bay was the steering wheel. ‘My rub- Residents in the shire’s called in the Rural Fire Serv- closed to through traffic; bish bin fl oated away and I north took to their boats as ice and Fire Brigade engines Coolangatta Airport was found it two doors down in a roads and cars disappeared to reach evacuees and parts closed and Virgin had can- neighbours backyard, unfor- under several feet of water of New Brighton could only celled flights into Ballina; tunately all the rubbish had forcing the evacuation of be accessed with the local many business were closed gone.