A Corrindi Flood Story:

Jill Mitchell, 70, was woken in the middle of the night by her silky terrier AJ, to find water had flooded her Corindi home, north of Coffs Harbour.

“She was crying. It was just after 3am. I put my hand down and said, ‘you’re all wet’,” Ms Mitchell said.

She then heard the toilet gurgling, looked out the back door and saw water “tearing through”.

“By the time I got to the end of the hallway I was met by water flowing through the house,” she said.

“It was coming in quite quickly.”

Ms Mitchell’s husband Barry rolled up towels and placed them near the doorways to block more water entering their home of 18 years.

Items damaged included a sofa lounge, book cases, cabinets, chainsaws, whipper snippers, a ride on mower and four vehicles, including Jill’s 10-week old Toyota Corolla.

She also lost her prized show ribbons won for her craftwork entered in shows over 25 years.

“It’s probably the thing that breaks my heart more than anything,” Ms Mitchell said.

It is the third time they have been flooded after similar incidents on Australia Day in 2012 and in February 2013, but Ms Mitchell says this is the worst.

“It would probably have been up to 60cm in the house, if we hadn’t have rolled towels up and used them to block the water out,” she said.

“It was all without any warning.