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South Cessnock residents braced themselves for the worst on Tuesday morning, as the Oliver Street drain once again overflowed and flooded nearby properties.
It was like deja vu for Oliver Street resident Garry Jack, who experienced the floods of 1990 and 2007.
"I had a terrible feeling during the night, and by early Tuesday morning I knew it was happening again," Mr. Jack said.
"We put a lot of stuff up high, but not everything, and it (the water) even knocked a cupboard over. But we won't let it get us down."
Mr Jack said the drainage in the area is poor and needs to be fixed properly.
On the corner of Edgeworth and Oliver streets, Sue Blatchley said she had about 30 minutes to pack up and get out on Tuesday morning.
"I got home from work at 10.30, raced around the house, got the dog and enough clothes to last a few days," she said. "I was in shock. Everything's destroyed."
Ms Blatchley said she has lived in the rental property since 2008, the year after the last flood.
"It (the drain) was always going to be fixed, but the council never does anything," she said.
As reported in February, South Cessnock has been listed as the next stage of council’s floodplain management program. Council officers will be pursuing government assistance grant funding to carry out works, and hope to present a public exhibition or workshop during 2015.
The flood waters impacted several Vincent Street businesses, and many were still without power on Wednesday.