Northern NSW floods: evacuation order reissued for Lismore CBD as levee expected to be breached

A reprieve from floodwaters on Tuesday afternoon did not last, with Lismore locals waking to news the town's levee is again set to be topped

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Thousands of northern New South Wales residents still reeling from catastrophic flooding have been forced to evacuate their homes for the second time in a month as heavy rainfall lashed Lismore, Mullumbimby and Tumbulgum.

Some Lismore residents on Tuesday evening were told it was safe to return home after evacuation orders were lifted for the northern rivers town's CBD, Lismore Basin and low-lying areas of East Lismore and Girards Hill.