Record rainfall and flooding in NSW force evacuations, rescues

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KEY POINTSWild weather continues to batter parts of NSW.Rain is expected to ease in Sydney on Saturday as storms move south.And in south-east Queensland, heavy rain is expected to continue into Sunday.

Sydney may have woken up to blue skies, but flood levels are continuing to rise across parts of NSW with evacuation orders issued after an overnight deluge broke rainfall records.

Suburbs on the city fringes are facing the threat of significant flooding after copping overnight while a major landslip in the Blue Mountains has left one community cut off.

Premier Chris Minns has called for caution, noting just under 4000 volunteers “spent the night in the cold and windy and rainy conditions, saving people’s lives”.

People standing next to a large rock that has fallen on a damaged road.

Damage at Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Coalcliff, NSW on Saturday. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins

“While it does look like blue skies across Sydney at the moment and the emergency rain situation seems to be easing … it’s important to note that flood levels in some of the rivers, particularly in Western Sydney are continuing to rise,” he told reporters on Saturday.

Eleven urgent evacuation warnings have been issued by the NSW State Emergency Service.

Those living in Windsor, in Sydney’s northwest, as well as parts of Agnes Banks, Sackville, Cumberland Reach and Pitt Town Bottoms have been told to leave.

The North Richmond area is also subject to evacuation orders after moderate flooding in the region prompted the closure of the Richmond and Yarramundi bridges.

In Sydney’s north, residents in Warriewood and Narrabeen have been told to evacuate immediately due to dangerous and rising flooding.

“We have had 152 (flood rescues) across the state, 72 just in the metropolitan area,” SES Commissioner Carlene York said.

York said the agency had so far responded to more than 4000 calls for help, including a car swept into a stormwater drain in Padstow and a train stuck in Bardwell Park.

A landslide has blocked Megalong Road in the Blue Mountains, isolating some residents. Source: AAP / Supplied

Flood watches remain

The Bureau of Meteorology said many areas had been hit with more than 100mm of rain in the past 24 hours with intense falls across the Hunter, the Illawarra, Sydney and the Blue Mountains.

Some areas in western Sydney had more than 200mm with Penrith recording 252mm over the past 48 hours – five times the month’s average.

The Cooks River burst its banks at Earlwood after 7am on Saturday, triggering road closures.

The bureau’s Steven Bernasconi said the situation was easing with heavy rainfall starting to move out into the Tasman Sea.

Storm debris covers Stanwell Park beach which has been cut following flash flooding in the northern suburb of Wollongong in the Illawarra, 6 Saturday April, 2024. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins

But flash flooding and landslips remain a concern for Wollongong, the Illawarra and the south coast with two people reportedly taken to hospital after a home at Mt Kiera washed into a creek.

A major flood warning remains for the Hawkesbury, Nepean and Colo rivers while the Georges, Lower Hunter, Myall, Macquarie and Woronora are all on flood watch.

In the Blue Mountains, a landslip on a primary access road left a community cut off with authorities scrambling to arrange food drops.

A woman taking a selfie while standing next to an overflowing river.

A woman takes pictures of the overflowing Parramatta river at the ferry wharf in Sydney on April 5, 2024, after heavy rain lashed eastern Australia, causing flash flooding and a string of emergency warnings up and down the Pacific coast. (Photo by Saeed KHAN / AFP) (Photo by SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images) Source: Getty, AFP / Saeed Khan

“It’s the only access in and out of the valley,” Mike Davis, the owner of nearby vineyard Megalong Creek Estate, told AAP.

“A lot of people are down here camping or in Airbnb’s at the moment so they need to do something fast.”

Warragamba Dam also spilled over just before 6am on Saturday after 100mm of rain fell over the catchment in less than six hours.

Around 40,000 homes and businesses lost power over the past 24 hours with fallen trees and powerlines further interrupting supply, Ausgrid said in a statement.

Heavy rainfall and possibly severe thunderstorms are also battering southeastern parts of Queensland and are expected to continue into Sunday.

Surfers and other beachgoers were warned to stay “well away from the surf and surf-exposed areas” due to dangerous conditions, particularly at east-facing beaches.

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