Sydney wild weather: Floods threaten homes in Camden, Picton
A PILE of spoiled food reaches almost to roof height outside Picton IGA, where floodwaters last night raged down the main street, cutting power and ruining businesses.
NSW
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FLOODWATERS have receded in the semi-rural hamlets of Picton and Camden, southwest of Sydney, revealing scenes of devastation.
In the carpark of Picton IGA staff, locals and Fire & Rescue NSW workers are sifting through a mountain of spoiled food, discarded because the supermarket lost power during Sunday’s flood.
Wollondilly mayor Simon Landow said every perishable item was being thrown away.
“There’s emergency workers and skip bins everywhere,” he said.
“It’s heartbreaking. It’s a major clean-up operation at the moment and it’s going to last in to the night.”
A Fire and Rescue spokesman said that crews were working at the IGA due to the possibility of contamination from destroyed food products.
“This particular scenario has been repeated at numerous locations across the state,” he said.
Water levels reached almost roof height in some low lying areas around Camden as almost 140mm rain fell on Sunday and the Nepean River reached a peak of 9.7m at 10am this morning.
St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School principal Don O’Brien said his school was so damaged it would most likely be closed for the remainder of term.
“We’ve got other schools in our region to send them to so hopefully we’ll be in a position to have them being bussed out to them by the end of the week,’’ he said
The George IV Inn, one of Picton’s most popular weekend haunts and one of Australia’s oldest pubs, built in 1835. was almost completely submerged by the floodwaters.
Inn manager Peta Cohen spent Monday morning alongside volunteer workers assessing the damage and clearing debris.
“It’s (the damage) is pretty extensive, stockwise we’ve lost 90 per cent of what we had,” she said.
“We’ve just finished renovations here that cost an absolute fortune, I doubt the pub will be operating for the next couple of weeks, it’s pretty bad.”
La Crema Cafe owners Sam and El Mileto estimate well over $200,000 worth of damage has been done to the building and equipment as well as stock.
“With all the money we’ve outlaid to set the business up, we’ve just started making some back and enjoying life, and now this,” Mr Mileto said.
The Department of Education has closed Picton High School and Wallacia Public School due to the severe weather.
North west of Sydney, authorities have made the decision to close the North Richmond Bridge before it goes under.
The SES remains on high alert and have received about 9000 calls for help and performed 105 flood rescues, mostly involving stranded motorists.
A 65-year-old man was also swept to his death in the Southern Highlands.
Meanwhile, shop owners returned to Picton town centre yesterday to assess the damage from the storm.
Local councillor and shop owner Michael Banasik said it will be a month before Picton is back to normal after the flood.
Country Bumpkin at Picton took to social media to detail the devastation.
“I know that most of the shops down our end are all under now.
“It happened very quickly as the drains in the street backed up and this was where the water started.
“Then the creek burst and that was it. It was pouring in through the back and the sand bags just couldn’t hold.”
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