Sydney floods: Parramatta prepares for severe wind, rain

As the downpour hammers NSW, the bodies of a man and woman were found after a mother and son, whose car was found in a western Sydney stormwater canal, disappeared.

Police have found the bodies of a man and woman after Hemalathasolhyr Satchithanantham and her 34-year-old son Bramooth’s abandoned car was found in a stormwater canal at Wentworthville on Monday afternoon.

Cumberland police were alerted after a white Mazda3 was found in the Cooper Creek stormwater canal about 4.30pm.

Police checked the car and found personal possessions inside but they were initially unable to locate the car’s owner, 67-year-old Mrs Satchithanantham, or her son, whom she was believed to be with.

Hemalathasolhyr Satchithanantham.

Bramooth Satchithanantham has several medical problems.

Police are yet to formally identify the bodies.

Police have been told Bramooth lives with several medical conditions and is non-verbal.

The car which veered off the Cumberland Highway and into a stormwater canal. Picture: David Meddows

Cumberland commander Detective Superintendent Paul Devaney said the Satchithananthams’ Mazda 3 was found submerged in the Coopers Creek Canal where it crashed into on Monday after travelling down the Cumberland Highway.

Police are yet to determine when the car was washed down the culvert. “We have had a number of witnesses come forward,’’ Det-Supt Paul Devaney said.

“However it’s in the infancy of the investigation and we’re yet to determine an actual time of the incident.

“Clearly the current weather conditions impacted the canal where the vehicle was located.

“It (water levels) rose this morning from ankle-deep to above neck high in a matter of minutes with the downfall so I’m sure the weather conditions had significantly played a part.’’

Floral tributes were left at the canal about a kilometre from where the bodies of a man and woman were found.

The weather hampered the recovery, prompting Cumberland officers to enlist the help of divers, the police rescue squad, divers, PolAir and Parramatta police.

The Satchithananthams are from Wentworthville.

“It’s a tragedy and it’s a tragedy for everyone involved,’’ Det-Supt Devaney said.

The car that was found abandoned in the creek, shortly before it was towed away on the Cumberland Highway.

“My heart goes out to the family and to the community. This is a mother, who we suspect is a mother, and a son. The mother was devoted to her 34-year-old son. It’s just a tragedy for all involved.”

The car was towed shortly after 4.30pm and floral tributes were left adorning the bridge over the creek near where the pair was washed away.

Police remain on the scene after the car was towed.

Across Sydney, the wild weather wreaked havoc across the train network, with cancellations and some commuters being forced to wait more than an hour after major delays.

Train commuters at Wentworthville train station on Tuesday evening when major delays and cancellations were imposed across the network.

Monday, March 7

Parramatta SES responded to 52 requests from help between Thursday and Sunday night but it is preparing for the worst on Tuesday with damaging winds and severe rain predicted to lash NSW.

Leaking roofs and fallen trees have kept the unit busy at Epping, Carlingford, Granville, Constitution Hill, Toongabbie and Rydalmere but so far the area has escaped major damage that has inflicted the severely-hit Hawkesbury and Nepean regions in Sydney and the north coast.

Parramatta SES deputy commander George Jeoffreys said while volunteers had assisted other western Sydney units with rescues and clean-up efforts, the severe weather forecast for Parramatta would keep troops on standby.

“I can tell you we’ve held most of our guys locally because of the forecast for the significant flooding in Parramatta,’’ he said.

“In the next 24 hours we’re predicting significant rainfall in Parramatta and flash flooding and lots of overland run off. Overland run off can be anywhere and flash flooding is predominantly along the waterways and there’s lots of creeks in Parramatta. Any of these can flood.’’

That includes A’Becketts Creek at Granville and Toongabbie Creek.

A duck sits on a park bench covered in water at the Parramatta River. Floods/rain/wet weather

Mr Jeoffreys said it was too unpredictable to tell how the floods would unfold but volunteers would be ready.

“Parramatta’s a very sensitive catchment,’’ he said.

“You can have widespread rainfall across the catchment that might not cause significant problems but if you have a thunderstorm and there’s a lot of run off in one area it can cause significant flooding.

“It’s too hard to call.’’

Teams will be on standby to respond to local damage as well as be deployed elsewhere in the state, where a severe weather warning was issued from Coffs Harbour in northern NSW to Bega in the far south.

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Along the Parramatta River, the water gauge sat at 1.5m at 11.40am when the constant rain ensured the weir continued to overflow and the wharf swamped.

Ferries continued to be suspended between Parramatta and Rydalmere and Sydney Trains has warned commuters to expect delays and cancellations because of the severe weather.

On Monday, NSW SES commissioner Carlene York said the organisation received over 1290 calls for assistance over the past 24 hours and 25 were for flood rescues.

More than 2000 ADF troops, 600 Rural Fire Service volunteers and 600 SES volunteers are working on clean up efforts across the state.

A park bench is almost entirely covered in water at the Parramatta River on Monday.

A water gauge sits at 1.5m at 11.40am on Monday near the Parramatta wharf.

Across the state, the SES has carried out more than 4000 damage assessments on houses and over 2000 of those properties are uninhabitable.

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Dean Narramore said the east coast low would hit the Central Coast and “rapidly deepen tonight” to early tomorrow down to Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Illawarra, the Shoalhaven, the Hawkesbury and Nepean.

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Up to 100m of rain is forecast and will “ramp up” in the early hours of Tuesday and continue for much of the day.

“It’s this additional rainfall on already-saturated soils, catchments and flooded rivers, creeks and streams that is given us increasing amount of concern for the communities from the Central Coast of Gosford, all the way down to Ulludulla and inland areas as well,’’ Mr Narramore said.

“We’re likely to see major flooding on numerous rivers for much of these flooded catchments that does include the Hawkesbury-Nepean.’’

“Damaging winds” are also forecast with gusts of 90km/h possible, forecast to bring down power lines and trees, and generate dangerous travel conditions.

Mr Jeoffreys urged people to avoid flooded areas.

“Most of the flood rescues we go to is because people have chosen to go into the flood waters with their kayak so the big message is don’t go through flood waters,’’ he said.

Among the frenetic response to saturated suburbs, Parramatta volunteers were buoyed with a kind gesture, thanks to Carlingford Gourmet Pizza who supplied free tucker to keep the troops’ hunger at bay on Friday night.

“I was on that night,’’ Mr Jeoffreys said. “It was a lovely surprise; it was very much out of the blue and a very nice show of appreciation for the volunteers.’’

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Originally published as Sydney floods: Parramatta prepares for severe wind, rain