NSW Floods: Power outages and fallen trees possible as high winds batter Southern Highlands
Emergency services are urging residents to be alert for power outages and fallen trees across the Southern Highlands and Tablelands, as damaging winds batter the region.
The Bowral News
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Emergency services are urging residents to be alert for power outages and fallen trees across the Southern Highlands and Tablelands, as damaging winds batter the region.
A severe weather warning is currently in place for the Southern Highlands and Tablelands for damaging wind gusts. The Bureau of Meteorology predicts wind gusts of up to 90km/hr will continue throughout Wednesday, but will begin to ease in the evening.
A spokeswoman for the State Emergency Services (SES) said the flooding risk has diminished in the Southern Highlands, with emergency services now focusing on the damaging winds tearing through the region.
The SES are concerned the high winds will topple trees which have been destabilised by the heavy rainfall and saturated soil.
Damaging winds have already caused widespread issues in the Highlands, Shoalhaven, and Illawarra after trees fell onto Endeavour Energy powerlines and cut off power to 4,500 businesses and homes on Tuesday night.
In a statement, Endeavour Energy said they anticipate further outages across the region as the damaging winds continue.
It’s not just powerlines that have been brought down by the high winds. Buxton Rural Fire Service responded to a call for help on Wednesday after a rain-affected roof collapsed on a community centre in a retirement village.
The crew said the terrifying roof collapse triggered a gas leak, and urged residents to remain alert.
“Heavy rain and winds don’t just cause floods, they cause catastrophic destruction,” the brigade captioned the photo.
While reiterating the call for vigilance, the SES spokeswoman said the easing of heavy rain meant there was a low number of calls for assistance in the area overnight.
“Given that reprieve today, we’re on the downhill now to recovery,” she said.
Over the past week, the local SES units have responded to a whopping 665 calls for assistance which includes 11 flood rescues.
According to the SES spokeswoman, the majority of the calls were for storm damage like fallen trees, sandbags, or covering a roof with a tarp.
She praised the Southern Highlands community for being so prepared during the natural disaster.
“There’s been a lot of proactive work, which is the best because it gives us much better statistics than if people didn’t listen to the warnings,” she said.
The SES is also focused on delivering supplies to isolated communities cut off by roads, such as Kangaroo Valley which became cut off on Tuesday evening.
The town became isolated when Moss Vale Rd (between Cambewarra and Fitzroy Falls) and the Kangaroo Valley Rd were closed due to landslides and heavy damage sustained during the flooding.
According to the Wingecarribee Shire Council, these roads remain closed or blocked on Wednesday:
- Boardman Rd near Old South Rd, Bowral
- Old South Rd near Bowral St, Bowral
- Tree fallen across powerline at Spring St, Mittagong
- Range Rd, Mittagong between Old South Rd and Tourist Rd
- Railway Pass overbridge at Range Rd, Mittagong
- Railway St at Argyle St intersection, Moss Vale (water over road – use caution)
- Railway underpass at Spring St, Moss Vale (water over road – use caution)
- Lackey Rd, Moss Vale
- Dangerous sinkhole at Illawarra Highway near Burrawang
- Old Mandemar Rd, Berrima
- Oldbury Road, Sutton Forest
- Berrima Rd near railway crossing (water over road – use caution)
- Railway underpass at Badgerys Way, Exeter
- Collapsed bridge near the intersection of Belmore Rd and McEvilly Rd, Robertson
- Drapers Rd, Braemar
- Drapers Rd, Colo Vale
- Old Hume Highway at Alpine (water over road – use caution)
- Old Hume Highway at Yerrinbool (water over road – use caution)
- Canyonleigh Rd at Paddys River
- Inverary Rd, Paddys River
- Spring Hill Rd off Wombeyan Caves Rd
- Wombeyan Caves Rd near Goodmans Ford
- Fallen trees on Nowra Rd between Sheepwash Rd and Redhills Rd
- Landslide at Moss Vale Rd between Cambewarra and Fitzroy Falls
- Fallen tree on the Illawarra Highway at Macquarie Pass
Tuesday 8 March
Emergency services in the Southern Highlands responded to nearly 100 requests for help on Monday as the worst flood in decades swept through the region.
While the majority of the calls were for leaking roofs or sandbag requests, the NSW State Emergency Services (SES) Wingecarribee Unit conducted four flood rescues.
A SES spokesman said it’s the most damaging and widespread flood he’s seen in more than 30 years of living in the area. Mittagong was drenched by 231mm of rainfall in the 24 hours before 9am on Tuesday – one of the highest totals in the whole of NSW.
On Tuesday, the concern is for the predicted triple figure rainfall of around 150mm in the Southern Highlands, which is expected to materialise on Tuesday afternoon.
“The SES are watching very closely to see what might happen later today but it looks like it shouldn’t be anywhere near as bad as yesterday,” the SES spokesman said.
“The other concern for us is that the winds are now beginning to pick up and … there’s a possibility that we could see some wind gusts get up to 90km/hr. With saturated soils, that would bring trees and branches down.”
He said falling trees are a “threat” to local drivers and residents, who should continue to be vigilant even as the rains ease.
Preparation makes all the difference, according to the local Fire and Rescue teams.
Station manager for the Bowral Fire and Rescue, Chris Cruz, said yesterday’s disastrous deluge was “unexpected” because the actual rainfall was more than double the forecast.
“It caused a lot of havoc in the area. It caught everyone off guard,” he said.
Mr Cruz said the crews will be monitoring vulnerable areas in the Southern Highlands On Tuesday to ensure the community feels supported.
“We’re expecting to be busy,” he said.
Areas of concern include the roads on Mount Gibraltar, Rose St, Mittagong Rd, Merrigang St and many others badly affected by the flash floods on Monday.
Flooding and a landslide at Picton means trains are not running between Campbelltown and the Southern Highlands, but buses have replaced the train service for those who need to travel.
It is important to note the Mittagong Covid Clinic was flooded on Monday and will remain closed until at least Wednesday to assess the damage.
As you can see in the horrifying video below, the damage to roads around the Wingecarribee Shire has been extensive. A sinkhole has opened up on the Illawarra Highway near Burrawang, which is closed to traffic.
The SES spokesman added that International Women’s Day was a great time to give “a shout-out for all the female Wingecarribee members who are out there today doing a great job helping the community.”
Monday 7 March, 8pm
Bowral has been cut in half by flash floods which have surged over the bridges and blocked many crucial connective roads across the town.
Many locals found themselves stranded on either the Mittagong or the Burradoo side of Bowral as Mittagong Creek rose suddenly to bisect Merrigang St, Mittagong St, Bowral St, Station St, and Old South Rd.
With these essential thoroughfares flooded, many drivers were left wondering how they would get home. One mother had left her young son at home to collect her daughter from school, only to find she couldn’t get back to her house on the Gib.
Another woman had to brave walking along the train tracks to bypass the flood waters and get to her partner, who is a wheelchair user, and her house.
SES volunteers, police, and Rural Fire Service crews were stationed at flooded roads to redirect traffic and stop foolhardy locals from attempting to cross the rushing water.
One young man was seen trying to square up to a police officer on Rose St as he attempted to wade through the fast-flowing stream that was more than 1.2m deep. Although he was eventually dissuaded, he was not the only one to think he could brave the waters.
Areas of the Highlands have reported triple digital rainfall on Monday, with Mittagong reportedly receiving 120mm since 8am this morning.
Locals say this sort of flooding affects Bowral every couple of years, but many were still caught unaware.
While it’s been a stressful day for most residents, many Southern Highlanders are trying to brighten the day however they can – whether it’s an offer of somewhere to stay or tea and biscuits for stranded drivers on Merrigang St.
St Jude’s Anglican Church became a refuge around 7pm when a number of locals stranded by the floods were let into the church to have a cup of tea, recharge their phones, and set a plan for the rest of the evening.
Police have also said some children and a teacher are sheltering at St Thomas Aquinas in Bowral after not being able to make it home.
Speaking of kind hospitality, one Koi carp was lucky enough to find a temporary home after flood waters swept it down Oxley Drive in Bowral.
The impact of the torrential rain was felt elsewhere in the Highlands as well, with a landslide at Welby taking out one lane of the Hume Highway at around 3.30pm. Sheepwash Rd is also flooded near Burrawang, and Moss Vale Rd between Main Rd and Myra Vale Rd remains closed due to a landslide.
Tomorrow will be another test for the Southern Highlands, with around 150mm forecast and severe weather warnings still in place.
Monday 7 March, 3pm
With the Wingecarribee shire being declared a natural disaster zone and the Southern Highlands and Goulburn regions issued a severe weather warning, residents are being warned to stay vigilant and be prepared.
The Bureau of Meteorology today advised that heavy rainfall, damaging winds and possible thunderstorms could cause moderate to major flash flooding in the Southern Tablelands and Southern Highlands.
Six-hourly rainfall is being predicted in both regions in the rang of 70mm to 120mm of rainfall.
Wingecarribee Shire has been declared a natural disaster zone as a result of the severe storms and flooding over the weekend.
Individuals who have been impacted by the flooding can now apply for financial assistance, including the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment.
The picturesque village of Burrawang topped the charts overnight with one of the highest recorded rainfall totals in the state at 132mm.
There is also moderate flooding near the town at Sheepwash Rd, between the Illawarra Highway and Kangaloon Rd.
The BOM has also issued a severe weather warning for both the Southern Highlands and Goulburn after heavy rainfall increased the potential of debris and landslides across roads, urging locals to be careful.
“Keep in mind that debris can be hidden in waters, which can be life threatening,” a spokeswoman said.
“It’s not just about the height of the river but also what’s in them that can make a situation dangerous. From the surface you can’t see the full picture so it’s important that people don’t enter flood waters.”
The spokeswoman said that rivers in the Southern Highlands and Tablelands areas are expected to decrease over the next few days but reminded residents to continue to regularly check weather warnings for updates.
The Southern Tablelands saw flooding at Macquarie River in Lake Bathurst over the weekend, however water levels have now receded.
An SES spokesman in Goulburn said there is still a risk of renewed water rises at Lake Bathurst as well as at Mulwaree River.
NSW SES Goulburn Unit Commander Daryl Skinner said there were “quite a few jobs over the weekend” involving call outs for trees on roofs.
In terms of driving through flood waters, Mr Skinner said that people have been “good with staying out of them” in the Southern Tablelands.
A spokeswoman for the NSW SES Southeast zone said during this “high risk time, communities are really listening to weather warnings and being prepared.”
“They are listening to emergency services and trying not to travel in dark times when the weather is not as predicable.”
Goulburn Mulwaree Council has advised that the current road closures are:
• Airport Road
• Brisbane Grove Road
• Blackshaw Road Underpass
• Bull spit Road
• Bullamilita Road
• Brayton Road – At the Upper Lachlan Shire Boundary
• Cullulla Road Causeway
• Currawang Road – At the First Causeway
• Oallen Ford – At Windellama Creek
• Painters Lane
• Park Road
• Mills Road
• May Street Bridge
• Murrays Flat Road
• Mayfield Road – At the Queanbeyan Palerang Boundary
• Stewarts Crossing
• Sandy Point Road – Mayfield Road End
In the Southern Highlands there are road closures on Bowral Rd, Merrigang St, Old South Rd, Scotts Rd and Elizabeth St, however water levels are expected to go down soon.
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