From the Maitland Mercury article by Chas Keys:
Maitland's long history of floods has often seen people having to leave their homes.
During the second half of the 19th century the evacuation of hundreds or even small numbers of thousands of people occurred frequently, and the numerous floods of 1949 to 1956 also saw many having to flee.
In 1955 more than 8000 people, of a total of about 25,000 in the area of the present City of Maitland, had to leave.
Since 1955, thanks to the modern mitigation system, evacuation has been mercifully infrequent, though 1971 saw 450 people leave their homes and in 2007 about 3000 did so.
Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Feb. 26, 2015.
