Greater Sydney’s Hawkesbury Nepean Valley – including major urban centre Penrith – is expected to experience its worst flooding in 60 years as people around NSW are forced from their homes by incessant rain and overflowing rivers.
The state’s emergency service says it will be working beyond Easter on the post-flood clean-up effort and restoration of key services in affected areas.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Justin Robinson said forecasters believed the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley would experience its worst flooding since 1961, with the spilling of a full Warragamba Dam prompting major concern.
Warragamba was hit by more than 150mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on Sunday, and more than 250mm over the past four days.
People in low-lying areas in the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley have been told to protect homes by sandbagging doorways and clearing drains.
The Nepean River at Penrith could rise as high as 10 metres by 9pm, while the river at Richmond and Windsor would not peak until Monday.
Robinson said major flooding was already occurring at North Richmond.
Moderate flooding also continues along the Colo River, with farmers near the river told to be on alert and ready to move livestock.
“It is one of the biggest floods we are likely to see for a very long time ... floodwaters at Penrith are expected to then move downstream and impact those communities at North Richmond, Windsor, Sackville,” Robinson said.
It comes as the NSW government announced it was extending its disaster recovery assistance to cover another 18 local government areas (LGAs), after 16 LGAs were announced on Saturday.
The additional LGAs are Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Camden, Campbelltown, Canterbury Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Hornsby, Inner West, Ku-ring-gai, Liverpool, Northern Beaches, Parramatta, Penrith, Sutherland, The Hills and Wollondilly.
The assistance, which can include help for individuals whose homes or belongings have been damaged or for councils working to clean up and restore public assets, will be provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA)
Minister for Emergency Management David Littleproud said in a statement that, as storms continue to ravage the state, the extent of the damage won’t be known for some time.
“Through the DRFA, a range of practical assistance measures are now available to help people get back on their feet and support councils with the clean-up and repairs to infrastructure.”
The Sydney CBD was also drenched, receiving 110mm of rain over the same 24-hour period, while 120mm hit Hornsby and 168mm reached Katoomba.
The bureau’s Agata Imielska said the severity of rain hitting greater Sydney would ease from Sunday night, but the mid-north coast would continue to be drenched and inland NSW would be deluged from Monday.
Imielska said the NSW northwest slopes and plains would receive four times more rain in two days than the entire March monthly average.
The NSW south coast would also experience heavy rain from Tuesday, with little respite for any region across the state until Wednesday.
SES deputy commissioner Daniel Austin said the service was dealing with downed trees, power outages and damage to houses and emergency crews had made 750 call-outs overnight on Saturday, and had responded to more than 4,500 calls for help since Thursday.
Martin Bridge has now been closed to traffic. Manning River expected to peak at 3pm. @nbnnews pic.twitter.com/OnH1kboTg5
— Alison Paul (@AlisonPaulCoffs) March 19, 2021
He said they expected to be working beyond Easter on the post-flood clean up effort and restoration of key services.
“While a couple of areas have seen some receding flood waters overnight and into this morning, that heavy rainfall returning to those locations today will likely lead to additional peaks on those river systems,” Austin told ABC TV.
“We’re planning well beyond Easter for our own operations ... just because the rain may stop on Thursday, the rivers naturally don’t go back to their normal state and then there’s going to be an extended recovery period.”
Residents in the Pitt Town Bottoms, Cornwallis and North Richmond areas west of Sydney were told to evacuate in the early hours of Sunday morning as the Hawkesbury River began to flood.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Sunday said that the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley flood could prompt an additional 4,000 evacuations by the day’s end.
The federal government’s natural disaster arrangements have been activated for a large stretch of NSW from the Central Coast to Tenterfield.
“We are envisaging a one-in-50-year event, yesterday we were hoping it would only be a one-in-20-year event,” Berejiklian said.
Parts of Port Macquarie, Taree and nearby towns have also flooded in what Berejiklian on Sunday labelled a “one-in-100-year event” on the mid-north coast.
Mum and Dad are in the town centre of #PortMacquarie looking onto the canals which feed into the Hastings River. Several jetties have come adrift and a cow has been spotted in someone’s front yard | @abcnews @kerrinjthomas @Hannah_Palmer @portmacnews @BOM_NSW @BOM_au #NSWFloods pic.twitter.com/8EzGeAtqN7
— Laurise Dickson (@laurise_dickson) March 19, 2021
Bellingen locals on NSW’s mid-north coast and people at a tourist park were advised to evacuate because of the risk of flooding along the Bellinger river.
Evacuation centres were established at Richmond and Bellingen, adding to several others opened in the mid north coast and Hunter regions.
The heavy rain is expected to keep falling until Wednesday morning and people across the state are on high alert for rising floodwaters.
Short Street Port Macquarie #NSWFloods pic.twitter.com/wXMQbUn17q
— Cara Starr (@anoukeblack) March 19, 2021
The premier urged NSW residents who weren’t in immediate danger to restrict their movements and heed the warnings.
A severe weather warning for intense rainfall and flooding remained in place on Sunday morning, covering the majority of the NSW population.
Taree CBD copping it. And yes, that’s the roof of a car. @nbnnews pic.twitter.com/pRdBa2ebwF
— Alison Paul (@AlisonPaulCoffs) March 19, 2021
A bodyboarder in his 60s went missing off the coast of Coffs Harbour on Saturday afternoon and crews will resume the search on Sunday morning.
Strong winds have also caused damage, with a small tornado ripping through Chester Hill high school in Sydney’s west.
Prime minister Scott Morrison was briefed by Emergency Management Australia on the weather and flooding on Sunday and said the scenes across NSW were “absolutely heartbreaking” and the government was ready to assist.
The federal government has announced financial assistance for more than a dozen local government areas from today.
“By making these payments available to the affected residents, the Australian government will ensure that those who have lost or sustained damage to their homes or lost their livelihoods as a result of the floods will have the additional assistance they need,” emergency management minister David Littleproud said in a statement.
A one-off, non-means-tested payment of $1,000 is available for eligible adults, and $400 for eligible children who have been seriously injured, lost their homes, or whose homes have been directly damaged, or the immediate family members of a person who has lost their life as a direct result of the storms and floods.
People will also be able to access income support for up to 13 weeks, equivalent to the maximum rate of jobseeker or youth allowance. The same level of support is available to NZ citizens living in affected areas.
Mutual obligation requirements will be lifted for jobseekers in the areas from 19 March until 6 April, meaning no payment suspension or financial penalties for not being able to attend appointments or activities.
Australian Defence Force support has been offered to NSW.
The Covid-19 vaccine rollout in Sydney and many parts of NSW has been delayed because of the extreme weather, the Department of Health said.
Berejiklian said NSW would catch up on any delay caused by the flooding and associated road closures.
The Public Information and Inquiry Centre provides information about the severe weather at any time of day on 1800 227 228. For emergency help in floodwaters, call the SES on 132 500.