Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Mostafa Rachwani (now) and Josh Taylor (earlier)

Flood evacuation orders issued as federal government announces disaster relief payments – as it happened

A car stranded in Bulahdelah on Sunday after the Myall River broke its banks.
A car stranded in Bulahdelah on Sunday after the Myall River broke its banks. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

What happened today, Sunday 21 March 2021

And so we shall leave it there for today, and for the week. Here’s what went down today:

  • It was a day of extreme weather for New South Wales, after heavy rainfall continued to batter the mid-north coast and western Sydney.
  • The SES issued flood evacuation orders for the western parts of Penrith, western parts of Jamisontown and the northern end of Mulgoa, as flood waters rose to record breaking levels.
  • The NSW government announced that the disaster recovery assistance scheme has been extended for 18 other LGA’s, after initially announcing it for 16 LGA’s,
  • Warragamba Dam – Sydney’s main water source – spilled over, causing river levels to rise along the Nepean and Hawkesbury.
  • A severe weather warning was also issued for the Northern Territory’s typically arid southern regions for heavy rainfall and potential flash flooding.
  • The flooding has caused some delays in the vaccine rollout in NSW, with Australia’s deputy chief medical officer, Prof Michael Kidd unable to say just how much has been affected.

Please take care of yourself if you’re in any of the areas of concern, you can check out the SES’s latest emergency declarations on their website.

The NSW Government has announced an extension of the disaster recovery assistance, adding 18 LGA’s to the initial 16 LGAs announced yesterday.

In a statement, NSW MP David Elliott said the storms had already done extensive damage, and that with the weather not scheduled to ease until Wednesday, the full extent of the damage is still not known.

Severe winds, relentless rainfall and widespread flooding has damaged roads and properties, businesses and public assets right across New South Wales

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 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.

Updated

It appears flooding has begun affecting areas in the Gold Coast as well:

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has announced it has approved CSL-Seqirus to manufacture the AstraZeneca vaccine in its facility in Melbourne.

In a statement, the TGA said that the approval was a “critical and very exciting milestone in Australia’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic”.

Specific approval of Australian manufacturing by TGA was required to ensure that the locally-manufactured vaccine had exactly the same composition and performance as overseas-manufactured vaccine, was made to the same quality and is free of contaminants.

The announcement couldn’t have come at a better time, as supply of the vaccine are affected by a variety of issues.

Updated

Water NSW has released an interesting statement, essentially rejecting the idea they should have lowered the levels of dam prior to the heavy rainfall.

They say that significant pre-release could have proven more dangerous, combining with flood waters in downstream tributaries and could have increased the level of flooding.

While WaterNSW is not authorised to lower the storage based on weather forecasts, significant pre-releases prior to a flood event could make flooding events more dangerous.

Downstream tributaries could be inundated in a big rain event (as they are now) and the addition of extra water released from the dam could increase downstream impacts.

Windsor bridge has officially been swallowed by the Hawkesbury River:

An expert has weighed into the discussions around why the floods have such a huge impact, with one saying it was more about “poor governance rather than any act of God.”

Professor Jamie Pittock is from the Fenner School of Environment and Society at The Australian National University said that it was climate change and planning policies that had led to the floods having the impact they’ve had:

Successive state governments have failed to address the 5,000 homes built below the 1:100 year flood line. The NSW Government’s proposed ‘silver bullet’ solution of raising the Warragamba Dam to control floods is dangerous.

The NSW government should stop plans for 134,000 people to move onto the floodplain by 2050. It should begin long-term programs to help the most flood-prone residents relocate to safe sites. Restoring the floodplain to give the river room to flood more safely can boost opportunities for agriculture, recreation and nature conservation.

Updated

The Guardian’s photography extraordinaire, Mike Bowers, was on the scene at the mid-north coast today, to document the traffic stuck at the pacific highway roadblock, south of Taree:

Traffic lined up at the Pacific Highway roadblock outside Taree NSW wait to resume their journey north late on Sunday afternoon. Sunday 21st March 2021. Photograph by Mike Bowers. Guardian Australia.
Traffic lined up at the Pacific Highway roadblock outside Taree NSW wait to resume their journey north late on Sunday afternoon. Sunday 21st March 2021. Photograph by Mike Bowers. Guardian Australia. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Traffic lined up at the Pacific Highway roadblock outside Taree NSW wait to resume their journey north late on Sunday afternoon. Sunday 21st March 2021. Photograph by Mike Bowers. Guardian Australia.
Traffic lined up at the Pacific Highway roadblock outside Taree NSW wait to resume their journey north late on Sunday afternoon. Sunday 21st March 2021. Photograph by Mike Bowers. Guardian Australia. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Water across the road causes traffic chaos on the Taree-Gloucester road outside Taree NSW. (The road is cut completely further down from this point) Sunday 21st March 2021. Photograph by Mike Bowers. Guardian Australia.
Water across the road causes traffic chaos on the Taree-Gloucester road outside Taree NSW. (The road is cut completely further down from this point) Sunday 21st March 2021. Photograph by Mike Bowers. Guardian Australia. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Flooded road where the depth indicators were completely sumbmerged outside Nabiac NSW. Sunday 21st March 2021. Photograph by Mike Bowers. Guardian Australia.
Flooded road where the depth indicators were completely sumbmerged outside Nabiac NSW. Sunday 21st March 2021. Photograph by Mike Bowers. Guardian Australia. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

The latest rain figures are in, and some areas around NSW have copped over 70mm since just 9am today.

The biggest falls were in Kurrajong Heights, north of Sydney, which has received 76mm only today.

Yarras Mountain, west of Port Macquarie, has seen a massive 139mm today, while Mt Seaview has seen over 110mm.

Disaster relief financial assistance is now available for people in flood and storm-affected areas in NSW, the federal government has announced.

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.

Updated

Evacuation orders for parts of Penrith

The SES has issued flood evacuation orders for the western parts of Penrith, western parts of Jamisontown and the northern end of Mulgoa.

Residents there will need to evacuate by 9pm tonight, with NSW SES directing people in the region to leave.

The order also says that the Great Western Highway Evacuation Route will be cut if floodwaters continue to rise, and that if anyone remains after 9pm, it may be too dangerous for anyone to rescue them.

Updated

Parts of South-East Queensland are bracing for flash-flooding, as a dangerous storm rips through the region.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Gold Coast, parts of Logan, the Scenic Rim, Redland City and Brisbane City Council areas this afternoon.

Hotham Creek, south of Beenleigh recorded over 113mm in one hour, while parts of the Gold Coast hinterland have recorded 82mm in an hour.

Updated

The SES has released the latests stats from the floodings:

Severe weather warning in the NT

There is also a severe weather warning for the Northern Territory’s typically arid southern regions, AAP reports.

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned up to 60mm of rain could fall across the Lasseter and southern Simpson districts on Sunday as a cloud band strengthens over central Australia.

It is expected heavy downpours could trigger flash flooding.

The Walungurru region, which receives 270.8mm of rain on average each year, has recorded 59mm in the 24 hours to 9am.

Some 100mm of rain could fall over the warning area in the next 24 hours, the bureau said.

Other areas in the firing line include Kulgera, Papunya, Hermannsburg, Curtin Springs, Finke, Watarrka, Santa Teresa and Titjikala.

The bureau said catchments were likely to become progressively saturated this weekend, with a separate flood watch alert in effect for areas south of Elliott.

The heavy rain is expected to slowly clear from the west from Monday.

It comes as rain continues to hammer much of Australia’s east coast on Sunday, with residents in Sydney’s west told to evacuate their homes as the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley faces its worst flood threat in 60 years.

Updated

Marine Rescue NSW deputy commissioner Alex Barrell has told ABC News most of their rescue work so far in this event has been on land, including evacuating 100 people from a caravan park on the Hastings River.

He said people should stay away from waterways for the next few days at least.

It’s particularly dangerous for boating and we just continue to remind boaters to stay away. That includes our coastal environments along our platforms at the moment. It is not a time to be out or near our waters. We know people like to go and have a look at the conditions as they transpire over the coming days. We want people to stay away, heed the warnings and not put themselves in unnecessary risk.”

Updated

Qantas boss Alan Joyce has told the BBC that “governments are going to insist” on vaccines for international travellers.

Joyce said that many governments from around the world will consider vaccinations as a “condition of entry” for post-pandemic travel.

Even if they weren’t, he thinks the airline should enforce its own policy. He believes that would justify changing the terms and conditions on which tickets are booked.

We have a duty of care to our passengers and to our crew, to say that everybody in that aircraft needs to be safe.

Coronavirus vaccines are seen as crucial to reviving an industry that saw worldwide passenger numbers fall 75.6% last year.

The SES is now advising people who live downstream of the Lower Mooney Dam, west of Gosford, to prepare to evacuate after it began spilling.

Heavy rain over the past 24 hours has caused the dam to start spilling, and with more heavy rain expected the SES is advising they might issue a dam failure evacuation order if necessary.

Otherwise, residents should be prepared to leave, and to lift as many of their belongings as possible.

Updated

The director of infrastructure & engineering services at the MidCoast Council has told the ABC that the most important thing for residents to do right now is to make sure they are off the road.

Robert Scott also explained that the region had seen a number of landslides that had exacerbated the damage there:

We have had some fairly significant landslides in the upper rural areas, we also expect to see quite a few washouts, we have had a lot of homes and businesses inundated, and there was a big cleanup in place there, but one of the biggest issues we have at the moment is that there was still heavy rain happening across the catchment area.

So the levels are staying similar, they receding, so it is delaying our ability to get in there and survey the damage, and give people accessing their properties and to make everything much better.

Scott also explained that the forecast for more rain was only going to make things more difficult:

The worst part would be if we see some predicted heavy winds coming to the area as well.

We have absolutely water saturated ground at the moment, with some areas more like the consistency of yoghurt. So it is really dangerous conditions if people are out and about.

At the SES press conference earlier today, they said they had responded to more than 6,000 calls, and that hundreds of properties have been damaged, but not just by the flood water.

Commissioner Carlene York said that the SES didn’t have the exact number of damaged homes, but that the damage was extensive:

I haven’t got the number of homes yet, we’re working to do assessments and it’s not just houses, it’s businesses and roads as well on the Mid-North Coast.

I would say there would be a few hundred homes damaged. Not only through the floods, but the mini tornado yesterday [in Chester Hill] took off roofs, damaged trees ... there was a lot of storm damage.”

Good afternoon on what is becoming a devastating weekend in NSW. A quick thanks to Josh for guiding us through the morning’s news. There’s still much to get through, so let’s get stuck in.

I am now going to hand over to my colleague, Mostafa Rachwani, who will take you through the rest of the afternoon.

If you are in New South Wales please pay attention to the alerts, and stay safe.

Extreme weather event in NSW

Here is a summary on where things stand at the moment, via AAP:

  • Top rainfall figures (in the 24 hours to 9am on Sunday): Comboyne Public School (249mm), Stonequarry Creek at Picton (198mm), Koree Island (186mm), Oakdale (180mm), Palm Grove (177mm), Katoomba (168mm)
  • Almost 7000 SES call-outs since Thursday, 74 flood rescues
  • Evacuation orders for multiple towns near the Hawkesbury River including Pitt Town Bottoms, Pitt Town North, Cornwallis, North Richmond, Grono’s Point, Freemans Reach and Agnes Banks
  • Evacuation orders for parts of regional NSW towns including Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Wauchope, Macksville, Laurieton, Taree and Wingham
  • The Hawkesbury Nepean Valley, including Penrith, is facing its worst flooding in 60 years, while a one-in-100-year flood is likely on the mid-north coast
  • The Nepean River at Penrith could rise as high as 10 metres by 9pm on Sunday but the river at Richmond and Windsor won’t peak until Monday. More evacuations in the region on Sunday are expected
  • The Warragamba Dam - Sydney’s main water source - has spilled over, causing river levels to rise along the Nepean and Hawkesbury. Warragamba has been hit by more than 250mm of rain since Thursday
  • The federal government’s natural disaster arrangements have been activated for a large stretch of NSW from the Central Coast to Tenterfield
  • Multiple roads in Greater Sydney closed due to flooding, including: Windsor Bridge, Wisemans Ferry Road, Pitt Town Road, Bells Line of Road at Richmond, Springwood Road at Yarramundi, Wilberforce Road, The Northern Road at Penrith and Wakehurst Parkway on the northern beaches
  • Multiple roads in regional NSW closed, including: The Pacific Highway from Coopernook to Glenthorne, multiple points of the Oxley Highway, Giinagay Way between Warrell Creek and Nambucca Heads, Jenolan Caves Road at Hampton and multiple points of the Illawarra Highway
  • Forecast: Heavy falls will continue across NSW until at least Wednesday, including warnings that flash flooding may endure
  • Inland NSW will also be hit by severe rain from Monday, with the NSW northwest slopes and plains likely to be worst affected
  • The SES admits it will be working beyond Easter (April 4) on the post-flood clean up effort in NSW and restoration of key services
  • A bodyboarder in his 60s who disappeared off the Coffs Harbour coast on Saturday afternoon remains missing, with crews searching for him.

Inevitable delays in vaccine rollout in NSW

There will be some delays in Covid-19 vaccination deliveries as a result of the flooding in NSW, Australia’s deputy chief medical officer, Professor Michael Kidd, has confirmed.

Addressing reporters in Canberra, Kidd said distributors were doing their best to ensure timely deliveries to general practices, but there would be inevitable delays.

“We have to wait and see what happens with the weather in the coming days ... I can’t tell you the exact number which have been affected at the current time.”

Updated

Berejiklian says she has not been briefed on any delays with the distribution of the vaccine, but says if road closures and flooding is going to cause a couple of days of delay, she is not concerned because NSW “will catch up.”

That’s the end of the press conference.

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian was asked whether enough water had been released from Warragamba Dam before the rainfall this week. She said some water has been released in the last month but given the rainfall, you would have had to have reduced the capacity of the dam to 20-25%, which was just not feasible:

“It is a one in a half-century event. It is not just the dam, it is the rivers which are overflowing, it is sustained rainfall.”

Elliott said mitigation would form part of the post-operation review, and flood walls, dam levels, and all other factors that could prevent flooding would be considered.

He said raising the dam wall was still a matter of discussion, and had been for some time.

NSW emergency services minister David Elliott flags the natural disaster declaration could be extended up the coast as the need arises:

I would expect as the need arises, I will be on the phone to the Commonwealth and we will be signing them off as quickly as we possibly can. The reason why we do it quickly is that the community needs to know that the funding will be available, particularly those that will be relying on agriculture to rebuild the economy.”

Updated

NSW state emergency service commissioner Carlene York has said people should consider staying with family or friends if evacuating because it would be more Covid-safe than going to an evacuation centre.

She said people should heed the warnings from SES on the ground regarding when to evacuate, stating there had been door-knocking going on in affected areas.

She said that on the mid north coast yesterday there had been some electricity and telecommunications outages that authorities are working to restore, and the mini-tornado in Chester Hill had led to power outages in some parts of Sydney.

York said there are 85 personnel coming from South Australia and Queensland to assist the SES in NSW, and there is a request for an additional 40 from Victoria. They’ll be on the ground in the next few days.

Updated

NSW emergency services minister David Elliott says there were 74 flood rescues last night, and warned motorists to stay out of flood waters.

“Motorists in this state need to know we are statistically moving closer and closer to the inevitable fatality. We cannot say it enough, do not put yourself in danger, do not endanger the agencies that are there to assist you and event of a flood rescue.

This is the wrong time of the year to be taking any risks. I am horrified to think that there were unnecessary flood rescues going on. Of course there will be the inevitable, there are number of houses that will just be surrounded by floodwaters and that will be necessary ... the unnecessary risks that are being taken by these motorists is beginning to wear thin on the authorities, it is an offence, and I think people need to be reminded that inevitably, with the damage that has been done across the road network in this state, a fatality is getting more and more likely.”

Updated

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian press conference

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian says another 4,000 people may be asked to evacuate the Hawkesbury area in the next few hours as flood waters continue to rise.

She said parts of the mid north coast are experiencing a one-in-100-year event, which is not expected to worsen at this stage, except rainfall will continue.

The focus is on flooding in the Hawkesbury valley and western Sydney, which she said was a “one-in-50-year event”.

Yesterday we were hoping it will only be a one-in-20-year event, now it looks like a one-in-50-year event, and potentially another 4,000 people may be asked to evacuate in and around that Hawkesbury region, parts of western Sydney.

We will know in the next few hours whether that is the case, and we will ask everybody do please keep watch on information and finally advise if you are to evacuate.

So far there are 13 evacuation centres that have been set up across the state, mid north coast, the Hunter Valley, and parts of the Richmond and Hawkesbury community. Of course we will continue to monitor that in the first instance, if you have been asked to evacuate we ask you to consider moving in with relatives and friends in the first instance, but there will be emergency accommodation forthcoming if you require.”

Updated

We are now waiting for the NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, to provide an update in about half an hour.

SES assistant commissioner Dean Storey was asked about whether there was a potential for Covid-19 to be an issue at evacuation centres. He said guidelines would be in place:

This is a potentially life-threatening weather event, so people need to make those decisions and act accordingly to get themselves and their families safe from floodwaters in particular. Obviously the evacuation centres will be employing the appropriate Covid safety guidelines as is reasonable and appropriate at this time.”

It is worth noting here that although no one takes anything for granted, the only recent cases in NSW are connected to hotel quarantine outbreaks, and there hasn’t been any community transmission cases outside of people who are connected to the hotels.

Updated

The SES said there have been over 650 flood rescues since Thursday, and over 7,000 requests for assistance.

Updated

Robinson said the river levels in Penrith are rapidly rising, and are expected to peak later today. For downstream locations like North Richmond, the river levels will continue to rise today but are not expected to peak until overnight or into Monday.

In Windsor the peak is likely to be Monday or Tuesday.

We are expecting the major flooding to really start happening, it is happening currently at North Richmond, I that will continue to rise at those locations throughout the day and into tomorrow.”

People are being told not to try to drive through flood waters because “they can be very deceiving ... you do not know what is below the surface ... it is just not worth the risk.”

Updated

Bureau of Meteorology update

The Bureau of Meteorology said while greater Sydney will continue to receive rainfall today, the mid-north coast of New South Wales will be particularly hard hit.

Tomorrow, there is a concern that the rainfall will hit hard in the northern inland of NSW, including areas such as the north-west slopes and plains. For those regions, we could see totals up to four times at the March monthly rainfall in just two days.

Wednesday is when it is expected there will be significantly lighter rainfall across NSW.

Bom is particularly concerned about flooding in the Nepean Valley area, particularly Penrith, following Warragamba Dam overflowing yesterday. Flood manager Justin Robinson said:

At Penrith we are expecting river levels to be near the 1961 flood. To give you some context, that is bigger than the February 2020 flood. It is bigger than the 1988 flood. It is bigger than the 1990 flood, and it is bigger than the 1964 flood. It is one of the biggest floods we are likely to see for a very long time.”

The water will then move downstream impacting communities in North Richmond, Windsor and Sackville.

Robinson said people should carefully follow instructions on evacuations, and people are advised to stay off the roads if they do not need to be on the roads.

The State Emergency Service said their help lines have been inundated with calls.

Updated

One of our readers, Peter Kranz, based in Morisset NSW woke up this morning to find a tree crashed on his neighbour’s car. He says it was fortunate it happened early and no one was in the car or nearby at the time.

A tree from Peter Kranz’s property lies collapsed on his neighbour’s car following wild weather in Morisset, NSW, on Sunday 21 March 2021. Nobody was injured.
A tree from Peter Kranz’s property lies collapsed on his neighbour’s car following wild weather in Morisset, NSW, on Sunday 21 March 2021. Nobody was injured. Photograph: Peter Kranz
A tree from Peter Kranz’s property lies collapsed on his neighbour’s car following wild weather in Morisset, NSW, on Sunday 21 March 2021. Nobody was injured.
A tree from Peter Kranz’s property lies collapsed on his neighbour’s car following wild weather in Morisset, NSW, on Sunday 21 March 2021. Nobody was injured. Photograph: Peter Kranz

Updated

Scott Morrison has received briefings on the flooding from Emergency Management Australia this morning.

The prime minister hasn’t made comments today, but he wrote on Facebook yesterday that the scenes across NSW were “absolutely heart-breaking” and that the federal government “stands ready to provide whatever assistance is needed, including from the ADF”.

Updated

Flood warning issued for Hawkesbury River at North Richmond

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a major flooding warning for the Hawkesbury River at North Richmond, where flooding is expected to be higher than the flood in February 2020 and may reach similar levels to the April 1988 flood.

The Hawkesbury River at North Richmond may reach around 14.4 metres by 6pm on Sunday.

Major flooding is also possible at Penrith, Windsor, Sackville, Lower Portland and Wisemans Ferry from late Sunday.

Moderate flooding is possible along the Nepean River at Menangle and Wallacia during Sunday.

Moderate flooding continues along the Colo River, with major flooding possible from Sunday evening.

There might be more flooding along the Upper Nepean River, with minor flooding already occurring at Menangle and Wallacia.

The Hawkesbury River at Windsor is likely to exceed 12.2 metres at 9pm on Sunday, and may go as high at 12.8 metres by Monday morning.

At Sackville, it is likely to reach 7.3 metres overnight and around 8.5 metres on Monday morning with moderate flooding.

The Colo River at Putty Road may reach 10.7 metres by Sunday evening.

Updated

This is the town where I spent the first few years of my life. I never think of it as a flood-prone area, despite it being essentially at the base of the Blue Mountains.

Updated

Here’s the latest from the Bureau of Meteorology. We are expecting a press conference in about half an hour.

Updated

Just a reminder NSW declared a natural disaster for the following areas since yesterday:

  • Armidale
  • Bellingen
  • Central Coast
  • Cessnock City Council
  • Clarence Valley
  • Coffs Harbour City
  • Dungog Shire
  • Kempsey
  • Lake Macquarie City
  • Maitland City
  • Mid-Coast
  • Nambucca Valley
  • Newcastle City
  • Port Macquarie-Hastings
  • Port Stephens
  • Tenterfield

Joint commonwealth and state disaster assistance funding is available to people, businesses and councils in those areas, the federal government announced on Saturday night.

Updated

Queensland is sending crews to help out in NSW, the state’s premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk has said.

Updated

Our photographer Mike Bowers has been up in Raymond Terrace north of Newcastle capturing some photos of the flooded areas.

Flooded roads in Raymond Terrace, north of Newcastle.
Flooded roads in Raymond Terrace, north of Newcastle. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
The Hunter River has broken its banks and flooded roads, parks and houses in Raymond Terrace NSW. Sunday 21st March 2021.
The Hunter River has broken its banks and flooded roads, parks and houses in Raymond Terrace NSW. Sunday 21st March 2021. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
A street sign under water after the Hunter River flooded roads and parks and houses in Raymond Terrace, NSW.
The Hunter River has broken its banks and flooded roads, parks and houses in Raymond Terrace NSW. Sunday 21st March 2021. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

People are posting some photos of the floods in their areas.

The federal member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, is on ABC News. Her electorate encompasses much of the flood-affected areas in the Hawkesbury.

She says there is a lot of anxiety about how much the Hawkesbury River will rise, and people are making preparations to evacuate, including getting animals out to evacuation centres:

There is a real sense of calm. The Hawkesbury has had floods before and will have floods again, so people actually know what to do. They know to make arrangements, on Facebook you can see people getting offers from other friends to come to higher ground at their place. Over the last few days there has been a lot of activity around horses and alpacas, and the sorts of large animals that people keep out here on what is a semi-rural area, for much of it. So there is a lot of support between community members.

There is anxiety, and the anxiety about not being sure just what level this flood will get to, how high it will go, what we are hearing is that it will be like the one a year or so ago, but possibly higher, and that will all depend on the amount of rain that we get over the next few days.”

Updated

We are expecting a Bureau of Meteorology update at midday, and I’ve just received an alert that NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian will hold a press conference in Bankstown with NSW police and emergency services minister David Elliott and NSW State Emergency Service commissioner Carlene York at 1pm on the storm and flooding events across the state.

Port Macquarie News reports a Facebook group set up to rescue livestock from the floods on New South Wales’ mid-north coast has already exceeded 1,000 members. There’s quite a few videos of cows being rescued.

Federal government working with logistics companies on vaccine delivery

The federal government is talking to freight and distribution companies over how the Covid-19 vaccine rollout will be impacted in rain-lashed NSW, AAP reports.

Australia’s most populous state has been struck by heavy rains and flooding which is blocking roads.

“Clearly there will be expected disruptions for many freight and logistic movements across NSW as a result of these floods. Vaccines will not be exempt from that,” finance minister Simon Birmingham told Sky News’ Sunday Agenda program.

“So we are working with our freight and distribution companies who are getting the vaccine from point A to point B to just understand about what will be impacted”

Vaccines ready for the phase 1b rollout – for people over 70, Indigenous Australians over 55, those with a medical condition or disability, and workers deemed high risk – are supposed to have been delivered across the country by the end of the weekend.

Updated

NSW police say they have rescued two stranded bushwalkers in the Blue Mountains overnight and evacuated residents in four homes at Wallaroy Crescent in Woollahra.

The first incident occurred when two bushwalkers returning from a camping trip along the Six-Foot Track at Katoomba became stranded by a waterfall that had formed on the track. The pair were rescued near Nelly’s Glen, with officers setting up ropes to get the walkers out in harnesses.

In the second incident, residents of four houses were evacuated following a partial wall collapse.

A resident noticed a 40-metre natural rock cliff face had shifted due to heavy rainfall and contacted emergency services.

Police were concerned the rock wall would collapse and hit the nearby properties, so the residents were evacuated as a precaution after 8.30pm last night.

Structural engineers declared one property was unsafe to return to until the wall was stabilised, while allowing residents of the three other houses to return home safely.

Updated

Western Sydney University water scientist Ian Wright was on ABC News just before. He said we are in “unchartered territory” with the overflow of Warragamba dam because there has been an “enormous transformation” in the Hawkesbury Valley into an urban landscape that means a lot of people are now living in flood-prone land.

“All the hard surfaces and pipes and plumbing, that changes the way that water has flowed and that has created much more potential for flash flooding and contributing to regional flooding.

So we’re in a landscape now, this is unchartered territory, we got a lot more people living in a highly flood-prone area, and New South Wales state emergency service regard the Hawkesbury Valley as one of the most flood-prone areas in New South Wales, possibly Australia.”

He said a lot of work had been done on evacuation roads as part of the development, but the influx of people into the area means they have not had to face a flood in the area yet.

Updated

Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of the extreme weather affecting New South Wales for Sunday.

I’m Josh Taylor and I will be bringing you all the latest on Sunday.

Flood waters have hit hundreds of homes in Sydney, with evacuation orders in parts of north-western Sydney in place as river levels rise on the Hawkesbury-Nepean River after the Warragamba dam overflowed yesterday for the first time in five years.

There is up to 100mm of rain forecast for greater Sydney today and tomorrow, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning the situation remains dangerous. The State Emergency Service is urging people to stay indoors and off the roads unless absolutely necessary.

One bodyboarder remains missing.

For more on the situation please read the article below.

Updated

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Hey, Netflix, Stop Suggesting Movies To Me I Can't Watch With My Plan (You're Not Amazon!)
Hoo boy, this set me off.
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
I’m Getting Stressed Out Just Hearing Jack Black’s Take On What It’s Like Hosting SNL
Feels like the only show that could rattle Jack Black!
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
Disclosure day: If ET made contact, how would we handle the news?
How would people react if an alien civilization actually made contact with us? Space.com talked to experts, who shared a variety of opinions about a possible real-life "disclosure day."
Space
Space
No one at Waffle House remembers Trump’s FEMA official who claims he was teleported there
None of the two dozen workers and regulars interviewed by The New York Times noticed any metaphysical activity
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Three-week-old mountain lion cub rescued by California biologists
Crimson, seen alone in Santa Monica mountains for days, gets care in Oakland zoo after mother nowhere to be found
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
The New Anaconda Movie, Which Sucks, Has Exactly One Redeeming Quality
Gotta look on the bright side.
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play