Communities across large parts of New South Wales were on flood alert on Sunday afternoon, with a saturated landscape and swollen rivers in line for a further drenching on Wednesday.
By 1pm on Sunday, the NSW State Emergency Service had received more than 340 requests for help and carried out 28 flood rescues over the previous 24 hours – many were rescued from vehicles as they tried to drive through flood water.
Almost all the state’s inland rivers were under flood warnings on Sunday as torrential overnight rain eased, with some rivers not expected to peak until after dark on Sunday.
Four evacuation centres were established to serve people in at least five areas where residents were asked to leave in what authorities described as a widespread flooding event.
The state’s emergency services minister, Steph Cooke, said: “We are in our third consecutive La Niña and we’re in for a long spring and summer in relation to wet weather conditions.
“Our dams are full to overflowing. Our rivers are full. They are at capacity. And our ground is saturated.”
Between 30mm and 50mm had fallen in western areas and some coastal spots had seen as much as 100mm falling on already saturated ground.
The NSW SES commissioner, Carlene York, said: “It is very dangerous out there on the roads and we are seeing a lot of flash flooding and the rivers are still rising.”
She said one person had become stuck in a vehicle on the Central Coast because of intense flash flooding and the water was “up to their seat” when rescuers arrived.
Some streets and car parks in Dubbo flooded and residents in a caravan park were asked to evacuate.
People living either side of the Hawkesbury River at Gronos Point were told to evacuate but some residents told the ABC they would be staying.
As the Hawkesbury River kept rising, residents in parts of the north-west Sydney suburbs of Agnes Banks and Lower Portland were given until 5pm on Sunday to leave.
Evacuations centres were opened in Castle Hill, Dubbo, North Richmond and Richmond, as Cooke warned that residents in inland and northern coastal areas would be on edge for several days.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Jane Golding told reporters the agency was closely monitoring several rivers, including the Murrumbidgee, which could see major flooding at Gundagai by Monday morning.
Parts of the Lachlan and Macintyre rivers could also reach major flood levels in the coming three days and the Macquarie River could see a “prolonged major peak” over the next few days.
Golding said: “Unfortunately this is the time of the year we see a series of [weather] fronts move through NSW and there is another one expected for the west of the state on Wednesday.”
BoM forecast large areas west of Sydney could see falls of up to 50mm on Thursday, with pockets of even higher rainfall.
York pleaded with residents to stay across flood warnings and make preparations to leave early, and to avoid driving through flooded sections of road. She said while the skies may have cleared, the danger was still there with more risks to come.
“We do have a couple of days forecast early next week in relation to the easing of the rain, but it doesn’t mean the rivers are not still rising and they have not peaked in some locations,” York said.
“It is still dangerous and as the water flows into catchment areas, it will continue to raise the level of our rivers.
“Any subsequent heavy rain will come because the ground is so saturated and the dams are so full, it will raise the likelihood of flash flooding which is very dangerous.”
