As rain subsides in Sydney, dozens of flood evacuation orders and warnings remain in effect across the state, affecting thousands of residents.
Key points:
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will visit the flood zone today
- Flood victims are cleaning their homes in Sydney as rain moves north
- The BoM and SES will offer a flood update just after 9am today
Heavy rains moved north overnight, and the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) warned residents of the mid-north coast to prepare for today’s storms, with possible sudden flooding in Coffs Harbor, Port Macquarie, Taree, Woolgoolga, Sawtell and Dorrigo.
Isolated six-hour totals between 125 and 150 millimeters are possible, and storms are expected to fall north of Kempsey this afternoon.
The State Emergency Service (SES) has received 1,200 grants and has carried out 55 flood rescues over the past 24 hours.
There are still 108 current evacuation orders and 56 warnings affecting more than 50,000 people.
During the night, evacuation orders were issued for several rural areas of the Hunter Valley, such as Combo, Glenridding, Dunolly, Whittingham and Scotts Flat, which have been said to be evacuated.
Water levels are still high in the floodplains of Windsor and are falling very slowly. (ABC News)
SES spokeswoman Andrea Cantle said much of the coast has had heavy rains over the past four days, leading to dangerous flooding conditions.
“Certainly, the weather system has moved away from the Hawkesbury-Napean area for now and has moved further north,” Ms. Cantle said.
“We may be waiting for more time this weekend, so we’re definitely not out of the woods yet. So we’re just asking all communities to still be alert, especially if you’re on vacation in different areas.”
Heavy flooding on the Hawkesbury River peaks above levels observed in March this year, while flooding is slowly declining in North Richmond and Windsor, north-west Sydney.
Adam Jones, of the State Emergency Service, says people in areas affected by the floods must wait until it is clear before they can return home.
Yesterday, rain in Greater Sydney subsided as the day progressed, but authorities warned that the emergency situation could take several days to disappear.
The federal government declared the latest NSW floods a natural disaster, activating emergency funding support in dozens of areas.
Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said that while flood waters had peaked in most areas “this obviously depends on any future rain that may happen.”
Showers are forecast for the rest of the week in Greater Sydney, but it will be nothing like the deluge that has caused chaos in Australia’s largest metropolis since Sunday.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet are expected to visit the areas affected by the floods today.
The federal government has requested the deployment of some 250 members of the Australian Defense Force to help with the clean-up.
Posted 1 hour 1 hour ago Tuesday, July 5, 2022 at 8:14 PM, updated 27 m ago, 27 minutes ago, Tuesday, July 5, 2022 at 9:18 PM