Further down the coat some rural communities have been cut off as rain from ex-Cyclone Alfred bears down. Others are keeping a close eye on river levels.
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00:00Locals in Ballina assess Alfred's long-awaited arrival.
00:08Winds slower than expected, but still strong enough to bring down trees and posts.
00:14Up the river in Woodburn, the danger was just beginning.
00:18Residents ordered to evacuate by midday as the rising Richmond River threatened homes.
00:24It's expected to flood overnight, peaking tomorrow morning.
00:28Some local farmers kept cool heads.
00:30I'm in a high house up there and it floods nearly every time, so we just waited it out.
00:35Steve Smith helped rescue neighbours in his boat in 2022.
00:40He says he's ready to do it again.
00:42Yeah, yeah, we're ready. We've got a bigger boat this time too.
00:45Pub owner Daniel Simpson opened for a few hours to allow residents to restock.
00:50Many that were here in 2022 have already packed up and gone.
00:53They just don't want to take the chance.
00:56My wife has said to me, I just can't do this again.
00:59He says he'll be checking the river levels into the night.
01:02It's a nervous wait, no doubt.
01:04We're all watching the river heights further upstream to try and anticipate what's happening.
01:10Throughout the afternoon, floodwaters rose further up the river in Corakay and in Talwadja Creek, south of Grafton.
01:18Some communities cut off near Coffs Harbour, with farmers bringing animals to safety.
01:23Sometimes it's a bit hard to know whether the driveway's going to go under, so we'll just keep checking it.
01:28Residents in surrounding flood-prone areas have been told to evacuate here to Evans Head,
01:33and local volunteers have come together to make them as comfortable as possible.
01:37There's been over 150 people already through this evacuation centre,
01:43so we've set up some beds ready for some families to come and stay the night if they need to.
01:49Residents hoping the rivers spare their homes for at least one more night.