As it happened: Severe weather warning for Sydney ‘cancelled’, rain band moves to South Coast

Thank you for joining us today for our live coverage of the NSW floods. It’s time to say good night. Our live coverage continues on Wednesday but for now, here’s a summary of the major events today.

• A number of evacuation orders were issued by the NSW SES including for the Colo River, people in low-lying properties in Moree and low-lying areas of Southgate, with up to 15,000 people on standby across the state.
• Notable rainfall totals to 9am on Tuesday include 150.4 millimetres at Caroda Hill, 150 millimetres at Moree, 132 millimetres at Chillingham, 130 millimetres at Gravesend and 126 millimetres at Limpinwood.
• Nearly 12,000 people had lodged insurance claims by this afternoon.
• The leader of a team of firefighters who rescued a family-of-six from their home near Port Macquarie said they had to pull snakes out of the life rafts being paddling back to safety.
• SES crew members making the 20 kilometre return boat trip from George Street at Windsor to Wilberforce on Tuesday afternoon said it would take weeks to fully assess the extent of the damage, as the Hawkesbury River peaked at 12.75 metres overnight.
• Blue skies appeared over Sydney as the Bureau of Meteorology cancelled its severe weather warning for the Metropolitan, Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast, Hunter, Illawarra, Central Tablelands, North West Slopes and Plains, South West Slopes, Australian Capital Territory and Northern Tablelands districts.
• The bureau said heavy rain, leading to flash flooding for areas of the South Coast and Snowy Mountains continued into the night but conditions would ease “as rain rates drop”.

The NSW SES is asking people in low-lying properties in Moree, in northern NSW, to “evacuate now”.

All properties in the following list “need to leave by 9pm tonight”:

• North of Iris Street
• South of Dobbie Street and west of Edward Street
• East of Frome Street
• Warialda Street
• Gosport Street
• Morton Street
• McElhone Street

All properties in the following list “need to leave by 10am Wednesday morning”:

• North of Heber Street
• West of Bounday Street

There is an evacuation centre at Moree PCYC, Boston Street, Moree.

“The Mehi River at Moree is predicted to peak at 10.4 metres at 9pm tomorrow night (24 March),“the NSW SES said.

Sarah Soars and Joshua Edge have been reunited after being trapped in separate towns as their Mondrook home, across the river from Taree on the NSW Mid North Coast, was washed away.

“It’s horrible to be back,” Ms Soars told Nine News today.

Mr Edge said they “can’t even go back and salvage anything and fix the house up”.

“The whole lot’s just gone,” he said.

Their wedding was cancelled on Saturday, as their home was swept down the Manning River with their pet dog, Lily, inside.

Gulping mouthfuls of swarming insects and swatting spiders off each other, 12 firefighters in three rescue rafts ventured through the dark in the early hours of Saturday.

They were responding to a call for help from a family-of-six, stranded on a hill at Sancrox, near Port Macquarie, as the Hastings River rose at a rapid speed towards their home.

But the worst was yet to come.

“It was quite a surprise to hear on the radio ‘just to be careful of all the snakes’,” Inspector Russell Turner told the Herald.

Snakes, seeking refuge from the flood, had started jumping into the rafts.

Fire & Rescue NSW crews found snakes in the boats as they rescued a family in Sancrox, NSW.Credit: Fire & Rescue NSW

Read more here

NSW Health says arrangements have been made for vulnerable and pregnant patients in flood-affected areas.

“NSW Health has been working collaboratively with emergency services and other agencies to ensure residents are able to safely access public hospitals and health services,” Acting Deputy Secretary Deborah Willcox said in a statement today.

“We have put arrangements in place for vulnerable patients, such as those on dialysis or receiving chemotherapy, so they can access their treatment, including transport to alternative health facilities when required.

“Contingency plans have also been put in place for pregnant women who are nearing their due date and may be isolated due to flood waters. These maternity patients are being transported by air to locations where they can access the required care.”

Health department staff including nurses, mental health support, pharmacists and public health workers have been deployed to evacuation centres.

Social work support is available for patients and staff in public hospitals “whose home or families are affected by the floods”, NSW Health said.

We said the blue skies would reappear, and they have over the rugged Grose Valley in the Blue Mountains.

Photographer for The Sydney Morning Herald, Wolter Peeters, has just filed these spectacular images.

A glimpse of blue sky. Credit: Wolter Peeters

The Blue Mountains, NSW. Credit: Wolter Peeters

The Grose Valley on Tuesday. Credit: Wolter Peeters

Brian McGregor moved into Wilberforce caravan park backing onto the Hawkesbury River one month ago. On Tuesday he fled by boat after floodwaters cut off towns and properties in north-west Sydney.

Muddy water stretching for kilometres covered the new Windsor Bridge, inundated homes and blocked roads throughout the region as the Hawkesbury River peaked at 12.75 metres overnight on Tuesday.

SES volunteers picking up Brian McGregor and Jason Pemberton from their home at Wilberforce caravan park on Tuesday afternoon.Credit: Louise Kennerley

“It’s shocking,” Mr McGregor said as he surveyed the damage from a NSW State Emergency Services vessel on Tuesday afternoon.

“I’m just glad we’re out of there.”

Read more here

The Jenolan Caves in the Blue Mountains will be closed for the next two weeks.

The tourist attraction operators shared an update on social media today.

“Given the damage caused to Jenolan Caves Rd (in both directions) due to extreme weather, Transport for NSW has advised that access into Jenolan Caves will be closed for the foreseeable future,” it said.

“As there is no alternate access to Jenolan we have closed our precinct up to and including the 5th of April.

“We understand it will be disappointing for a lot of our guests that were hoping to visit us over the next couple of weeks.”

The Jenolan Caves precinct closed until April 5, 2021. Credit: Transport for NSW

Jenolan Caves Road. Credit: Transport for NSW

The NSW SES has issued an evacuation order for low-lying areas of Southgate on the Clarence River, south-west of Yamba.

The order is to evacuate by 8pm.

“NSW SES is directing people within the low-lying areas of Southgate to evacuate the high danger area,” it states.

“Once floodwater passes 5.4 metres on the Grafton gauge roads in and around Southgate will begin to close and properties may become inundated.”

An evacuation centre has been established at South Grafton High School on Tyson Street, South Grafton.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the Clarence River at Ulmarra - on the other side of the river to Southgate - may reach around 4.3 metres tonight into Wednesday with moderate flooding.

Our photographer Louise Kennerley has captured an unusual sight in Windsor today.

Sarah O’Connell took her horses, Minnie and Bob, for a walk along George Street.

They are staying in her backyard due to their paddock flooding.

Sarah O’Connell taking her horses Minnie and Bob for a walk along George St, WindsorCredit: Louise Kennerley