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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Mostafa Rachwani, Matilda Boseley and Calla Wahlquist

NSW and Qld weather warnings, heavy rain and road closures – as it happened

Workmen inspect the flood-damaged Martin Bridge across the Manning River at Taree on the NSW mid-north coast on Tuesday.
Workers inspect the flood-damaged Martin Bridge across the Manning River at Taree on the NSW mid-north coast on Tuesday. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

What we learned today, Tuesday 23 March 2021

OK well that was another rough day, but it appears there’s sun on the horizon, both figuratively and literally.

Here’s a quick summary of everything that happened today:

  • There was another dangerous day across the east coast of Australia, with lots of heavy rain and some flash flooding, but overall conditions eased.
  • The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast sunshine and good weather from Wednesday, providing hope for communities affected by the floods.
  • Major flood warnings were been issued at Orara River, the Hawkesbury, Clarence River, Upper Macintyre River, Severn River and at the Gwydir and Mehi rivers.
  • Evacuation warnings were also issued for residents along the Hawkesbury from Wiseman’s Ferry, as well for the Picton CBD.
  • Between 500 and 1,000 ADF personnel have been deployed to flood-affected areas to help with the clean up.
  • Major flood and severe weather warnings were issued today for areas in south-east Queensland, especially around the Logan river.
  • The Naas Bridge, an important part of the national park in the ACT, collapsed today under powerful flood waters.
  • Coles has said it intends to airlift supplies to its North Richmond store, after road closures meant it had struggled to restock the supermarket.

We will continue our flood coverage into tomorrow, but please stay safe wherever you, try and stay off the roads and check with the SES for any emergency alerts for your area.

Updated

Some graphics now, to try and capture just the extent of this disaster.

The first is a cumulative rainfall chart that firstly and most obviously shows just how wet the first couple of months of 2021 have been:

The second is an animated river height chart, that show the different height of a couple of rivers across NSW over the years. Again, its most striking just how far from the average 2021 has already been:

Updated

David Littleproud, the minister for agriculture, drought and emergency management, was on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing today, to discuss the NSW floods, and he spoke about how these floods may affect planning for the future.

He referenced the royal commission into natural disasters, and said governments need to look at planning obligations in the future:

We need to be smarter, and we get more data as they get these disasters coming into understand impacts and the potential impacts.

It should be fed into building codes, in terms of planning, and making sure we make the right decisions to keep people safe and their assets out of harm’s way. It is common sense and what we expect.

He refrained from giving much else, especially in terms of concrete disaster policy, or a rough assessment of the damage so far, saying that it was still too early to make those calls.

Updated

I’m rooting for this kangaroo and their family as well!

Updated

The SES has also downgraded an evacuation order for the Colo river at Upper, Lower and Central Colo.

The flood evacuation warning will now replace the evacuation order issued this morning.

The SES said that as the river is not expected to rise any further than its current peak of over 14m, they made the decision to downgrade the warning.

The Colo River at Upper Colo is currently peaking at 14.62 metres and not currently expected to rise any further. Due to this reduced threat to community, NSW SES has suspended helicopter and boat evacuations.

NSW SES has issued a flood evacuation warning for low-lying properties in Moree.

The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting possible major flooding there, so the SES has asked residents and visitors to prepare for possible flooding and be ready to leave.

All residents north of Iris Street in Moree are being asked to prepare to evacuate (remember an evacuation warning is just in preparation, an evacuation order could be issued soon).

Updated

The spills coming out of Warrangamba Dam have apparently halved since their peak on Sunday.

The daily total of water spilling from the dam has fallen to 240 gigalitres, just below half the 500-gigalitre peak on Sunday.

In a statement, WaterNSW said that while the rain continues to fall in the catchment, inflows had fallen to 140G/L a day, well below projections.

Other Sydney supply dams are continuing to receive inflows, with Nepean, Cataract, Cordeaux and Avon dams all spilling.

Flow data continues to indicate that tributaries downstream of Warragamba contributed almost half (46%) the floodwaters arriving at Penrith, with the remaining 54% discharged from the dam.

Updated

On that note, I want to shift the focus to southern Queensland for a moment, with the bureau also issuing an update (they issue lots of updates) on major flooding for the Scenic Rim at Beaudesert, Boonah and Rathdowney.

Major flood levels have also been recorded at Boonah, with a severe weather warning for heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding current for south-east Queensland.

Severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall and damaging wind are also possible along the south-east today.

Updated

In another update from the Bureau of Meteorology, heavy rain is forecast for eastern Victoria and Tasmania, raising the risk of flooding there.

The flooding risk in NSW and Queensland is still high, with the current severe weather warning stretching from Brisbane to Hobart, still covering around 10 million Australians.

The update also says the areas of most concern are in north NSW, at the Queensland border, and southern NSW, also at the Victorian border, with another 150-200mm of rainfall still possible there.

Updated

Floodwater levels around the Hawkesbury have remained steady today, after peaking overnight at 12.75 metres.

Steady rainfall in the west has maintained the floodwater levels, with the Windsor bridge still underwater.

Locals Demie Prichard and Brewer Lynch take a friend’s boat to inspect houses along the Hawkesbury River area, Pitt Town, NSW on 23 March 2021.
Locals Demie Prichard and Brewer Lynch take a friend’s boat to inspect houses along the Hawkesbury River area, Pitt Town, NSW on 23 March 2021. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian
Locals inspect the floodwaters where the Hawkesbury River has broken its banks at Pitt Town, NSW on 23 March 2021.
Locals inspect the floodwaters where the Hawkesbury River has broken its banks at Pitt Town, NSW on 23 March 2021. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian
A man with a multi-coloured umbrella walks on the waters edge of the flooded Hawkesbury river at Inalls lane in Richmond on 23 March 2021 in Sydney.
A man with a multi-coloured umbrella walks on the waters edge of the flooded Hawkesbury river at Inalls lane in Richmond on 23 March 2021 in Sydney. Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
SES workers drive their rescue craft through the flooded Hawkesbury river along Inalls lane in Richmond on 23 March 2021 in Sydney.
SES workers drive their rescue craft through the flooded Hawkesbury river along Inalls lane in Richmond on 23 March 2021 in Sydney. Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

I personally find these images so jarring and surreal, I’ve driven along some of these roads and it’s so strange and heartbreaking to see them underwater.

Updated

Another animal rescue!

This time, a small kangaroo was found by a member of the public, and rescued by WIRES and Total Fauna Solutions:

WIRES followed up the good news with an update on the state of the Kangaroo, saying it was thankfully uninjured during the orderal:

And now, a floating jacuzzi:

A jacuzzi/spa has washed up on the beach in Collaroy in the Northern Beaches, NSW.
A jacuzzi/spa has washed up on the beach in Collaroy in the Northern Beaches, NSW. Photograph: Alex Spring

It turned up on a beach in Collaroy on the Northern Beaches, seemingly torn away from its home.

A jacuzzi/spa washed up on the beach in Collaroy in the Northern Beaches, NSW.
A jacuzzi/spa washed up on the beach in Collaroy in the Northern Beaches, NSW. Photograph: Alex Spring

Updated

I just wanted to quickly run through some of the warnings that have been issued by SES NSW over the past couple of hours or so:

  • Major flood warnings have been issued at the Coutts Crossing on Orara River, on the Hawkesbury at Windsor and Sackville, Clarence River at Grafton, Maclean and Ulmarra, Upper Macintyre River at Ashford, Severn River at Ashford and at the Gwydir and Mehi rivers.

    The SES advises that if you are close to any of these locations to be extremely careful and to keep track of any further warnings issued.

  • Evacuation warnings have been issued for residents along the Hawkesbury from Wiseman’s Ferry, as well as for caravan parks along the Hawkesbury from Windsor.

    Evacuation warnings have also been issued for the Picton CBD, with the SES advising people in these areas to prepare for rising floodwaters, and for a potential evacuation order.

Updated

NSW police have shared that officers saved eight greyhounds and a fox terrier from floodwaters on Sunday:

I am very much here for stories about animals being saved from floodwaters today.

Updated

Coles to airlift supplies into store in North Richmond

David Littleproud, the minister for agriculture, drought and emergency management, has announced in question time that Coles is intending to airlift supplies into their store in North Richmond, to alleviate shortages.

Littleproud said the government will be working with the supermarkets to ensure they are stocked if roads remain closed:

Today I can advise the house I’ve initiated national coordination mechanism as a result of feedback from senator Payne and the member for Macquarie around shortages in supermarkets in western Sydney and I can advise the house, I have only just been advised by Coles, that they intend to helicopter goods into North Richmond’s store this afternoon, as soon as arrangements can be made we will continue to make sure that mechanism is worked through in every community where there are shortages, where we are unable to get trucks or boats across to support these communities in their hour of need.

We are also working with NBN and Telstra to make sure they are ready to pivot into these communities where telecommunications have been brought down so we can restore them as quickly as we can.

Littleproud also rattled off a couple of numbers, including that there have been over 850 rescues, 9,500 requests for help and over 18,000 Australians displaced by the floods.

Updated

Just a note on the BoM presser earlier today, where they confirmed an eye-popping detail.

According to the bureau, the highest rainfall recorded during these floods was at Mount Seaview, just west of Port Macquarie, which copped a massive 1,083mm of rain. Comboyne station – also near Port Macquarie – also received over 1,034mm.

That’s over a metre of rain in a matter of days.

Updated

And we begin with a dramatic emu rescue from flood water in Windsor, north-west of Sydney:

Paul Zammit, second from left, lifts his pet emu, Gookie, out of a boat after rescuing her from floodwater in Windsor, north-west of Sydney, NSW 23 March 2021.
Paul Zammit, second from left, lifts his pet emu, Gookie, out of a boat after rescuing her from floodwater in Windsor, north-west of Sydney, NSW 23 March 2021. Photograph: Rick Rycroft/AP
Paul Zammit carrying his pet emu, Gookie, after rescuing her from flood water.
Paul Zammit carrying his pet emu, Gookie, after rescuing her from floodwater. Photograph: Rick Rycroft/AP
Paul Zammit carries his pet emu, Gookie, after rescuing her from floodwaters.
Paul Zammit carries his pet emu, Gookie, after rescuing her from floodwaters. Photograph: Rick Rycroft/AP

Extremely happy to hear Gookie has survived her ordeal.

Updated

Good afternoon everyone, from what I and many hope will be the final drenching of the week. The rain is still pelting down here in western Sydney, but there is light on the horizon.

A quick thanks to Matilda and Calla for guiding us through the morning’s news, I’ll be here for the afternoon and there’s much to get through, so let’s get stuck in.

With that, I will hand you over to Mostafa Rachwani who will keep you up to date across the afternoon.

Some truly incredible and terrifying footage here. Scaffolding on the new Pretty Point Bridge in Wyndham coming loose and floating away in the flood waters.

NSW Bureau of Meteorology summary:

Okay so the general gist of the press conference is that:

  • Today is still going to be dangerous. There is still lots of rain, rivers will still be high and there may still be flooding but it won’t be as bad as what we saw over the weekend.
  • After today the weather is going to clean up and the rain will die down, but that doesn’t mean the risks of floods are over.
  • It could take days, if not weeks for all this water to make its way through the rivers and waterways out to the ocean. That means there is still a danger for flooded roads and bridges for quite some time.
  • Some of this water may make its way down to Victoria via rivers.
A man looks on at floodwaters in the suburb of McGraths Hill in Sydney, 23 March 2021.
A man looks on at floodwaters in the suburb of McGraths Hill in Sydney, 23 March 2021. Photograph: David Gray/Getty Images

Updated

Victoria Dodds from the bureau says major flooding is expected for Grafton:

Let’s focus on the Queensland border. Some heavy rain yesterday, continuing overnight and today. We currently have a major flood warning for the Clarence, so expecting major flooding at Grafton overnight.

Further down the coast, to the mid-north coast, where we saw devastating floods of the weekend, the catchment saturated, it is responding to further rainfall, but we’re certainly not expecting to see anything of the magnitude that we saw over the course of the weekend, particularly for those residents Taree, Kempsey, and is that clears today, that will very quickly improved.

Updated

The bureau spokeswoman has laid out why these floods have been so dramatic:

What makes this particular event unusual and leading to these really disastrous conditions is that we have seen heavy rainfall and flooding occurring at the same time. We have flooding happening right now, and heavy rainfall, continuing over the last week. This makes it a particularly unusual and very dangerous situation that is still much with us.

She said these rains are expected to move inland:

We are seeing the rain band moving across the state also bringing rainfall over inland parts of New South Wales. So the north-west slopes and plains, some heavy rainfall there, around 200mm for some locations.

That is four times the monthly average falling in just 24 hours.

Weather bureau says NSW 'not out of the woods yet'

A spokeswoman for the NSW Bureau of Meteorology says heavy rainfall will continue for the mid-north coast:

Parts of New South Wales, particularly on the East Coast, but also inland parts, with that, those dangerous conditions, that flood risk is very much with us and very important for the community is to stay across the current flood and severe weather warnings that are still with us.

We are not out of the woods yet, it still seems that heavy rainfall coming through, and very much with that flood risk, we are still experiencing. The impact on the mid-north coast in particular, where we have seen the heaviest rainfall, a couple of locations have actually recorded over one metre of rainfall.

Putting that into context, that is two-thirds of annual rainfall falling in the space of just one week.

Locals row a boat past submerged homes in the western Sydney suburb of Windsor on 23 March 2021.
Locals row a boat past submerged homes in the western Sydney suburb of Windsor on 23 March 2021. Photograph: David Gray/Getty Images

Updated

The NSW Bureau of Meteorology is providing an update now.

Updated

For those who are just joining us, here are NSW premier Glady Berejiklian’s comments from this morning concerning the flood situation in NSW:

Normally you would have one weather front on a localised part of the state. We have several weather fronts impacting a huge area of the state.

It is catastrophic in its dimensions and the impact will be severe and the fact that 15,000 people may need to be evacuated the next 24 to 48 hours is a huge concern.

We are watching in addition to the Northern Rivers and the mid-north coast, the Hawkesbury-Nepean river and Western Sydney catchment areas where there is further evacuations. The south coast of New South Wales is also an area of concern with heavy rainfall expected today. We will be watching that as well.

My strongest message to everybody is to please listen to the advice. If you have been asked to be on alert, for evacuation, please get together your precious belongings, make sure you are safe and make sure you’re ready to leave at very short notice.

Updated

If people are finding it a bit hard to visualise and get your head around just how significant these floods in NSW and Queensland are, you are in luck.

Nick Evershed, has put together some extremely helpful graphs and charts that show the current flooding and rainfall in context with historical data.

I highly recommend checking it out:

Scenes from today in Wollombi, west of Newcastle.

Thunderstorms are moving inland today in Queensland.

The prime minister said in his press conference that we need to stop thinking about this natural disaster as purely a costal event, but there was still no signs that there would be dramatic flooding inland.

Updated

Sydney’s CBD has also been battered by the strong rains. Fire crews were called to repair a large highway sign that had come loose and “was hanging in a very dangerous position” over Bradfield Highway. This was caused by storm damage.

(This is the highway the Sydney Harbour Bridge is on for those not familiar with the city.)

According to Fire and Rescue NSW crews were “able to reach the hanging sign and carry out the necessary repairs so it no longer posed a threat to motorists”.

I haven’t been able to find any photos of this so far but if you see then send them to me on Twitter @MatildaBoseley or vis email at matilda.boseley@theguardian.com.

Updated

Speaking of destruction to vital bridge infrastructure. Here is the state of the Martin Bridge in Taree today.

Workmen inspect the damaged Martin Bridge across the Manning River at Taree, NSW.
Workmen inspect the damaged Martin Bridge across the Manning River at Taree, NSW. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

It’s clear the bridge has taken a battering. Here is a video of it being hit by a shipping container over the weekend.

Updated

ACT's Naas Bridge collapses in power flood waters

One of the major bridges in the Namadgi national park has been washed away by powerful flood waters around 7am this morning.

The Naas Bridge which crosses the Gudgenby River is an important arterial into the national park and was undergoing upgrades to widen the road to two lanes.

This comes as a number of major dams in the ACT have been spilling, rapidly rising river levels and cutting off a number of major roads.

Updated

When construction on the new Windsor Bridge began last year, the designers included lines of blue brick through its pillars to mark the historic floods along this part of the Hawkesbury River.

The Windsor Bridge along the Hawkesbury River on 22 March.
The Windsor Bridge along the Hawkesbury River on 22 March. Photograph: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

On the weekend, Zac Brookes and his family watched from the third-floor verandah of their home overlooking the river as the lines disappeared one by one. Soon the bridge was gone too, and with it went any sense that this was just another run-of-the-mill case of the Hawkesbury breaking its banks.

“Usually the floods are kind of exciting,” Brookes, 26, told the Guardian on Monday. “This stopped being exciting pretty quickly. It became, like, OK, this is pretty serious.”

You can read the full story below:

Updated

The floods are taking a huge toll on animals in the area, native wildlife, livestock, pets and pests alike.

Here a fox has taken refuge on a hay bale in the Richmond lowlands.

A fox floats along the floods waters in the Richmond lowlands on a bale of hay. It's curled up and looks very sad.
A fox who has taken refuge from the floods in the Richmond lowlands on a bale of hay. Photograph: Giddiup

(Personally, I despise all foxes on principle because when I was a teenager one broke into my back yard and killed my two pet chickens, Katara and Toph, but even I’m feeling for this poor little guy.)

There is major flooding occurring in the area along the Hawkesbury River today. NSW SES has just put out this warning:

Updated

Just going back to the evacuation orders that were issued this morning for the Colo River.

The evacuation order is valid for all properties along and adjacent to the Colo River. From my understanding, this is around 200 people.

The NSE SES instructions are as follows:

From 8am this morning you should be ready to be evacuated from your home via helicopter or boat.

You can only take essential items with you such as essential items, warm clothes, medicines, insurance documents and valuables.

They have warned that those who choose to stay may be trapped without power, water and other essential services.

Because a number of roads and bridges have been cut off, emergency services are using boats and helicopters to relocate people from the valley.

Updated

Oh, Tasmania? Did you think that you were exempt from this mess? Sorry guys, even the island is copping it today.

It’s hard to keep up with all the flood warnings being issues but there is now major flood expected for Wollombi Brook at Bulga as river levels continue to rise.

Residents (and dogs) are being rescued by boat in Singletons Mill, between Sydney and Gosford.

More roads are being cut off in south-east Queensland. Just a reminder, no matter how safe it seems, the advice from emergency services is unanimously “don’t dive across flood water-affected roads”.

Updated

NSW St Vincents has launched a flood appeal and are calling for donations.

The charity society’s CEO Jack de Groot has urged people to donate necessities for those who have been displaced:

People have already lost their homes and further evacuations are expected before this weather event passes.

Vinnies has been helping Australians in crisis for nearly 140 years, and to supply evacuees with food, clothing, household goods, and longer term recovery, we need your help.

If you are able, please donate to the Vinnies NSW Flood Appeal.

All donations will go towards assisting people and communities directly impacted by the floods.

The regional president of the Manning region, Vince Ryan, says Vinnies has a network of volunteers in the mid north coast that will be providing assistance and delivering donations.

If you want to make a donation, they have asked people to call 13 18 12.

Debris is seen in Port Macquarie, where many residents have fled their homes.
Debris is seen in Port Macquarie, where many residents have fled their homes. Photograph: Jason O’Brien/EPA

Updated

Updated

Here is a photo from Gavin Saul, from around Kempsey, who I spoke to yesterday. He and his 13-year-old daughter have been riding around town on horseback trying to recover some of the 85 cattle that the floods swept out of their paddocks and helping locals who have been stranded.

Here is his mate who they found trapped near his shed for more than a day.

You can read more about Saul and daughter Ella’s mission to save their animals here:

Major flood warning for south-east Queensland

A major flood warning is now in place for the Logan River with major flooding expected in the rural town of Beaudesert.

Moderate flooding is also expected for the Albert River.

Updated

Blah just got distracted by Morrison for some reason talking about his mother and wife again while discussing systemic sexism. (Check out Amy’s Remeikis’ politics blog for more of that)

Back to the floods.

It looks like the governor general will be visiting flood-affected areas.

Updated

Australian defence force deployed to help flood cleanup efforts

Scott Morrison says:

Impact assessments have not been completed in all areas but several hundred homes have been flooded, roads damaged, wildlife lost, telecommunications and power outages across the flooded areas have been reported. Telcos and power companies are standing by to re-establish power and communications.

New South Wales has requested assistance for two search and rescue helicopters and that has already been activated, and right now they are assisting with rescues between Richmond and Colo.

A request for assistance has also been put in by the New South Wales government and is currently being assessed and planned for by defence which would see somewhere between 500 and 1,000 ADF personnel deployed and engineering support to assist with the clean-up.

Mario Ratko at his flood-damaged home in Port Macquarie on Tuesday.
Mario Ratko at his flood-damaged home in Port Macquarie on Tuesday. Photograph: Jason O’Brien/AAP

Updated

Morrison says “Warragamba Dam is expected to spill over for another seven days at least”.

The potential for major flooding in the Murray Darling basement is anticipated and major flooding may continue in the Hawkesbury and Nepean in Friday. And western Sydney remains the area of greatest concern.

Updated

Scott Morrison:

Brisbane and the Gold Coast have been impacted by heavy rain and that is causing flash flooding. In terms of the response, 1700 SES volunteers have responded to this event, supported by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service on Fire and Rescue Services.

18,000 people have been affected by evacuation orders. 16 evacuation orders for 24 location. 20 further evacuation warnings with 18 evacuation centres operating ...

Rainfall is expected to be worse along the south coast as I said earlier with isolated falls of 300mm possible. Rain associated flooding will begin to cover a wider area of central New South Wales. Initial moderate warnings for catchments in Bathurst and Dubbo.

At this point, I don’t have advice that we are looking at and inland events that were similar to what occurred in north Queensland which destroyed the north Queensland livestock industry and has taken us the last couple of years to recover from. We are watching that very closely.

Updated

Morrison says floods no longer 'just a coastal event'

The prime minister in discussion the flood situation now:

We advise that the rain and flood situation does remain dynamic and extremely complex. This is a complex waiver event and becoming more complex. 100mm is forecast across associated catchments today and flood and severe weather warnings have been issued across the country, stemming from south-east Queensland to the Victorian border.

A trough on the east coast has merged with a trough extending from the Kimberley is to the east coast causing heavy rain and inland flooding. This is moving to not just being a coastal event.

Severe weather, high winds, damaging surf and heavy rain is forecast for the east coast today and the system is causing heavy rain from Edmonds Bay to the Victorian border as the storm moves south.

The system is expected to ease by late Wednesday but the floodwaters remain persistent sometime. North-eastern New South Wales, south-western Queensland and east and west Australia have been affected by inland flooding.

Prime minister Scott Morrison at a press conference at Parliament House on Tuesday morning.
Prime minister Scott Morrison at a press conference at Parliament House on Tuesday morning. Photograph: Sam Mooy/Getty Images

Updated

Prime minister Scott Morrison is speaking now.

A rainfall update for NSW.

The red dots show areas where there has been more than 100mm (10cm) of rainfall in the last 24 hours. It seems the north of the state took the worst battering.

An interesting piece from Stuart Khan on how questionable urban development choices are playing a part in NSW flood disasters.

Authorities are ramping up their message to never drive on flooded roads.

This video was shared by the Queensland road authority, and show a car being swept up in powerful flood waters after it stalled on the causeway.

Luckily the driver did make it out of the vehicle before it was taken by the current.

Updated

The prime minister is set to speak to the media in about 15 minutes. Now I think it’s safe to say the allegations against male staffers made on Channel 10 yesterday will take up the majority of that press conference, but if we are lucky we will get some update on what’s happening on a federal level in relation to floods.

Emergency services minister David Littleproud said yesterday that the round of support payments that have already been announced is just the first of several, but we are waiting on the timeline of when they might become available.

Updated

Oh no! A paddock used to house rescued donkeys has now been flooded in the Hunter Valley.

Vast numbers of cows, horses and other livestock have been washed away in the flood so far. While some have sadly died, others have been rescued by teams of farmers, emergency services and even just everyday folk who have dedicated hours to get the animals to safety.

Updated

A reminder there is an evacuation order in place for residents along the Colo River area.

Good morning all, Matilda Boseley here.

When we are talking about floods people often assume that those on higher ground will be spared significant damage, but it seems that is not the case.

We are hearing that landslide have damaged a number of major roads in Bowen Moutain, an outer Sydney suburb a bit further west than Windsor which has been pretty heavily impacted.

The landslides have caused parts of the road to fall into the valley, trapping a number of motorists who are now unable to get home.

Updated

I’ll hand over to Matilda Boseley now to take you through the morning.

Speaking of the creatures you find in the wet: Russell Turner from the NSW Fire and Rescue Service says that snakes, rats and spiders have tried to hitch a ride on their rescue rafts.

Turner told the ABC:

The crews paddled more than a kilometre to find a family, when they arrived they put them on a raft, then they found a few more people, they found rats and spiders. They had them nibbling at their heels. Finally they came back to the boat with their family. And in their raft were a couple more snakes. They distracted the family away. They moved that snakes out of the raft, put the men and then put the family right back to safety.

It’s just natural that animals and insects try to seek shelter as well, says Turner.

All the wildlife are trying to stay dry. They found that raft was the highest point. We have done more than 220, we have also rescued more than 50 animals, we have had chickens, budgies, cats and dogs, all sorts of things all over the rafts.

Turner said they have rescued a number of people from disability homes and taken them back to rescue companion animals.

Updated

At least someone is enjoying the rain.

As Gladys Berejiklian outlined yesterday, the state emergency operations centre at Homebush has been stood up to manage the flood crisis. It’s at the Rural Fire Service headquarters – so most of us will be familiar with it from the bushfires just over 12 months ago.

And the state emergency operations controller, deputy NSW police commissioner Gary Worboys, has appealed to flood-affected communities to observe flood warnings and evacuation orders.

He said:

This severe weather event is impacting communities across the state. The state emergency operations centre will bring agency operations together under the one roof to manage the situation in real time.

We will be relying on the timely advice of various experts at the Bureau of Meteorology and other agencies to make critical decisions to protect life and property, particularly to support our preparedness and planning as the weather event spreads across the west and south coast NSW.

Updated

SES commissioner Carlene York said the Colo River is of “particular concern” to emergency services this morning. An evacuation order has been issued for 200 homes in low-lying areas, and York said it access to those homes is “very difficult”.

So we will have rescue boats and helicopters going in to assist those people, so I ask those people in the area prepare for that evacuation.

They will get emergency kit together, ID documents, valuables, etc. Some of those areas we will need assistance if there are animals that need to be put to higher ground because they cannot always be large animals and helicopters but we will try our best to help everybody.

I do ask that people check the weather warnings and our information we have both through the bureau and the SES website and the information we put out, it’s important that particularly in those rural areas people look after their livestock and their animals, but I must say the priority at this stage is saving [human] lives.

Updated

NSW emergency management minister David Elliott said the state government requested assistance from the Australian defence force last night to help with flood rescue efforts.

NSW already requested ADF assistance with the clean-up effort.

Elliott said that 9,500 requests for assistance had been made overnight, and 1,300 of those requests have been “concluded”, whatever that means.

Unfortunately 850 of those have been flood rescues, not all of them obviously from motorists, but unfortunately a number of them have been and as I said we are statistically crawling towards the inevitable fatality, and that must be avoided.

A NSW SES vehicle is seen in Penrith, Sydney on Monday.
A NSW SES vehicle is seen in Penrith, Sydney on Monday. Photograph: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

Updated

Berejiklian said despite 18,000 people being told to evacuate so far the number of people at evacuation centres is “relatively low”, which suggests people have taken government advice to head to family and friends.

I just want to thank not only the volunteers who have been supporting our communities but also friends and family who have taken care of those who have been displaced and who don’t know to what extent the home is damaged.

She said the clean-up from the floods, when that begins, will take “weeks”.

Updated

Gladys Berejiklian says another 15,000 people may need to be evacuated

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian is giving an update on the flood crisis in NSW from the State Emergency Services headquarters.

She says “some weather conditions have worsened overnight”.

We advised yesterday about 18,000 people have been evacuated and regrettably we now have warnings for an additional 15,000 people that may need to be evacuated.

Berejiklian says the area of most concern today is around the Hawkesbury River, and also in the Northern Rivers region which had previously escaped the worst of it.

Now, whilst weather conditions may ease up tomorrow, today we will experience heavy rainfall. So whilst weather conditions may ease up tomorrow, a strong warning we need to give people is please continue to be patient, because we envisage that even when the rain stops and some of these coastal communities, the rivers will keep rising.

There are massive water flows impacting catchments and the height of rivers, so some of you may be wondering why you can’t go back home because it’s a sunny day, it’s because conditions are unsafe for that to occur so we just thank and ask everybody for your patience.

Updated

More than 150mm of rain could fall in parts of Queensland today

Most of southern Queensland will remain on flood watch today, with heavy rain forecast to continue throughout.

Flooding on the Gold Coast hinterland had been the greatest concern. Overnight, falls there have been relatively light and emergency services have reported no major incidents since yesterday.

Warnings for large downpours remain in place and the main concern has been that heavy falls in already-flooded areas could turn “life-threatening”.

The BoM continues to warn that falls of more than 150mm in six hours could occur today before conditions ease tomorrow.

“The situation is likely to pose a serious risk to areas recently affected by heavy rainfall, including the risk of landslips in steep terrain; in these areas the situation may become life-threatening,” the bureau’s latest warning says.

Flooding on the Tarata Road at Guanaba on the Gold Coast.
Flooding on the Tarata Road at Guanaba on the Gold Coast. Photograph: Cam Neville

Updated

There are 23 flood warnings current for NSW.

They are:

  • A major flood warning for the Wollombi Brook in the Hunter, and minor flood warning for the lower Hunter River.
  • A moderate to major flood warning for the Hawkesbury, Nepean and Colo rivers, with flooding similar to the 1978 flood possible along the Colo River, and also the Orara River in the Northern Rivers region, with major flooding possible at Coutts Crossing this morning.
  • There is also a moderate flood warning for the Clarence, Macleay, Hastings, Gwydir, Castlereagh, Nambucca and Macquarie River.
  • And minor flood warnings in place for the Wilsons, Bellinger, Manning and Gloucester, Deua, Paroo, Patterson and Williams, Richmond, Myall, Weir and Snowy Rivers, and Tuggerah Lake.

You can read the full up-to-date warnings at the Bureau of Meteorology website, here.

Updated

Let’s do a roundup of those flood warnings in states other than NSW.

There is a flood watch for southern parts of the Northern Territory including the Western Desert, MacDonnell Ranges, Finke River and Stephenson Creek, Simpson Desert and Georgina River and Eyre Creek catchment, and a flood warning for the Victoria River.

There’s also a flood watch for the north-east and north-west pastoral districts in South Australia, including the Simpson Desert, Diamantina River, Georgina River and Eyre Creek, Warburton River, Cooper Creek, Finke River and Stephenson Creek catchments.

This new rain system which is coming across inland Australia is coming down from the Kimberley, so of course there are also flood warnings for the Fitzroy and Ord River catchments in WA.

In Queensland, there are minor flood warnings for the Balonne, Barcoo and upper Thomson, Logan and Albert, lower Paroo, lower Warrego, Moonie, Nerang and Coomera Rivers. There is a flood watch for southern parts of Queensland from the SA border to the south-east coast, and an initial flood warning for the Maroochy, Mooloolah, and Weir Rivers.

In the ACT there is a minor flood warning for the Snowy River.

A minor flood warning for the Snowy River is also current in Victoria. There’s also a flood watch for East Gippsland, particularly the Bemm, Cann and Genoa Rivers catchments, and of course the Snowy River.

Updated

Good morning,

New South Wales’ State Emergency Services conducted 870 flood rescues overnight and received 9,700 calls for help, as the Colo River in the Hawkesbury Nepean catchment experienced major flooding.

There were further evacuation orders issued for communities north-west of Sydney, on top of the 18,000 already told to evacuate.

SES NSW commissioner Carlene Yorke told Sydney’s 2GB radio this morning that the Colo and Hawkesbury rivers were the areas of greatest concern, saying “this rain is incredible and it’s just not stopping”.

She continued:

The other concerning factor is the winds are going to rise again with a forecast of up to 90km/h.

That brings with it storm damage and roof damage.

Some 200 homes have been isolated by the rapidly rising Colo River, with residents warned they should be ready to evacuate. Further warnings were issued for towns around Windsor, on the Hawkesbury River, which peaked at 12.75m last night. Authorities have warned it could get higher still, with rain still falling.

Low-lying properties in North Richmond and Agnes Banks were also told to evacuate.

People check information beside a closed road in Penrith, Sydney on Monday.
People check information beside a closed road in Penrith, Sydney on Monday. Photograph: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

Evacuation warnings also remain in place for Kempsey on the mid-north coast. The Levee at the Macleay River held overnight, but again, further rain is forecast to fall.

There was also flooding at the Wollombi in the Hunter Valley, with flooding at Taree and Gloucester. Heavy rain is forecast for the NSW south coast, central tablelands, and mid-north coast today, with 90mm forecast for Sydney.

South-east Queensland including the Gold Coast has received 100mm rain overnight.

And heavy rain coming across inland Australia has caused current weather warnings in the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, South Australia and Victoria.

Let’s crack on. If you’re in a flood affected area and it’s safe to do so, let us know how you’re going. You can reach me at calla.wahlquist@theguardian.com or twitter @callapilla.

Updated

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