Jason Hagenson used an axe to cut into the cabin and drag the driver to safety.

The semi-trailer was heading east on Waterfall Way when he drove into flood waters at the road works bellow Marx Hill. The vehicle left the road and finished up in a culvert on the section of road under construction.

Council employee, Neil Bardsley was the first on the scene and raised the alarm. He said the cab was filling fast and the rain was torrential.

A rope was tied around Jason Hagenson who attempted to swim out to the rig. The current was too strong.

“We hauled him out, coughing a spluttering,” Neil Bardsley said. “But he went back, climbed onto trailer, walked across the top and jumped onto the cabin.”

An axe was sent out to Jason, who peeled open the cab. He said the water was only six inches from the roof of the cabin.

Jason reached in and pulled the driver to safety. A waiting ambulance took the driver to hospital.

Police said Jason Hagenson would almost certainly be nominated for a bravery award.

The rescue operation was one of several incidents on Friday night as torrential rain hit Bellingen shire isolating hundreds of people.

Emergency accommodation was found for a busload of schoolchildren stuck in Bellingen.

At Urunga eight low set vans at a caravan park have been relocated to higher ground.

Waterfall Way was cut at the Gordonville Cutting by a major land slip and at Cameron’s Corner, while the Pacific Highway was impassable near Newry Island.

Kalang and Thora were cut off.

At the height of the downpour, rain was coming down at the rate of 100mm an hour.

Lavender’s Bridge in Bellingen was rising at one metre an hour.

At 5pm, the level was 3m, but 8pm it was up to 5m and four hours later it peaked at 7.16m.

The bridge remained closed to traffic from 8pm on Friday to 7am on Saturday.

The peak was well below the levels recorded earlier this year. On February 17, the peak was 8.2m; March 31 the river rose to 8.7m; May 21 - 8.4m; and October 27 - 5.9m. The June 22 peak of 3.5m is not considered a flood. Some rainfall totals from Wednesday (Nov 4) to Sunday (Nov 8) were:

Fernmount 580mm

Bellingen 510mm

Crystal Creek 423mm

Gleniffer 412mm

Urunga 341mm

Mountain Top 287mm

Dorrigo 140mm

Bellingen’s total for 2009 is already 3372mm, the highest total since records commenced in 1900. The previous highest annual total of 2895mm was in 1921.