NSW Floods: Warragamba Dam spills, major flood warnings issued for Nepean, Hawkesbury river
Residents of North Richmond have been urged to evacuate by the SES with fears Redbank Dam will fail and cause flooding to properties downstream.
Penrith
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Residents of North Richmond have been urged to evacuate by the SES with fears Redbank Dam will fail and cause flooding to properties downstream.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued major flood warnings for the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers, with major flooding expected at Menangle and North Richmond tonight.
There has been rising water levels along the Nepean and Hawkesbury rivers across the day, with further rises expected with heavy rainfall forecast for the next couple of days.
The Nepean River at Penrith may exceed the moderate flood level of 7.9m by the late Wednesday and could reach 9m by Thursday.
The Hawkesbury River at North Richmond is likely to exceed the moderate flood level of 7.9m by this evening and could reach 14m by tomorrow, and at Windsor is expected to rise above the major flood level of 12m by Thursday.
High danger areas in North Richmond include: Southern Cross D, Spitfire Way, Grainger Pl, Bradley Rd, Tyne Crescent, Campbell St, Yvonne Pl, Michael St (north west of Gregory St), northern side of Gregory St, Stephen St (north west of Arnold St), Pecks Rd (between Mokari St and Bradley Rd), Elizabeth St (north of Campbell St), Trent Place and William St (northwest of Charles St).
Residents from these areas are advised to stay with family or friends outside of the impacted area.
Before evacuating, if safe, NSW SES recommends lifting personal possessions and important items above predicted flood height, taking pets and essential documents with you, leaving as early as possible to avoid restricted road access and sharing evacuation information with those nearby.
North Richmond Bridge has been closed, while Windsor Bridge remains open.
All Hawkesbury ferries are now offline with cables dropped.
Major flood warning issued for Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers
A major flood warning for the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers has been issued by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) which say flooding similar to levels of last March is possible given the rain forecasted till Thursday.
Minor flooding is taking place in Penrith and North Richmond with major flooding possible along the Hawkesbury and Lower Nepean River at Penrith, North Richmond and Windsor.
The Hawkesbury River at North Richmond is likely to exceed the moderate flood level of 7.9ms by late this afternoon and may exceed the major flood level of 10.5 m by Wednesday evening.
The NSW SES Hawkesbury unit projected water levels may reach around 14m by Thursday.
The Hawkesbury River at Windsor is likely to exceed the minor flood level of 5.8m in the late afternoon and may exceed the moderate flood level of 7m by this evening.
It could reach the major flood level of 12.2m by Thursday.
At Sackville, the Hawkesbury River will probably exceed the minor flood level of 4.6m by Thursday morning, with a moderate level of 7.3m likely to be reached during the day.
With conditions worsening, residents are being told to get evacuation plans ready.
Londonderry resident Skye Dickinson said floodwaters threatening her family’s property had risen more than a foot in the hour to 2pm.
“I grew up here and I can’t remember a year where we haven’t faced some kind of flood,” she said. “But floodwaters have never been this fast.”
Ms Dickinson likened the floods to the March 2021 disasters which saw hundreds of homes in the rural western Sydney suburb inundated.
One resident in Torkington Rd, Londonderry blamed an increase in development and “fill” being dumped on rural properties for the increased threat of floodwaters on homes.
“We are seeing water diverting into homes like never before,” she said.
The Penrith NSW State Emergency Service (SES) are urging residents along the Hawkesbury and Georges Rivers to review their evacuation kits and brainstorm evacuation routes.
The flood warning has been extended for people who live in the low lying areas of the Penrith local government area.
Penrith City Council has since announced a number of road closures due to flooding which include:
- St Marys Road/Stony Creek Road (at Causeway)
- Eighth Ave, Llandilo
- Torkington Rd, Londonderry
- Carrington Rd, Londonderry
- The Kingsway, Werrington
- Luddenham Road, Luddenham near Twin Creeks
Council advised roads may close and reopen with limited notice by authorities.
Penrith residents are asked to plan ahead and limit unnecessary travel. People are also urged not to walk, ride or drive through floodwaters.
Horses and livestock should be relocated to higher ground.
Warragamba Dam spills over
The Penrith region is bracing for a rain deluge and potential flooding with minor and moderate flood warnings issued for the Nepean, Hawkesbury and Colo rivers.
About 3am Warragamba Dam reached capacity and started spilling though its crest gates, which may continue for up to two weeks according to WaterNSW.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) predicted the Hawkesbury River would reach a height of 7.9m at North Richmond this afternoon which would bring it 50cm below deck height, potentially leading to the closure of the bridge.
The river at Windsor is predicted to reach 7m by this evening which should allow the bridge to stay open, as long as roads to either side of it are not flooded.
Yarramundi River is currently steady at 4.32 metres, which is roughly 1m below bridge height, but given the low-lying nature of the bridge the Yarramundi Bridge may close later today.
According to BOM, minor flooding has already occurred along the Hawkesbury River at North Richmond.
Minor and moderate flood warnings issued for Nepean, Hawkesbury and Colo rivers
The Penrith NSW State Emergency Service (SES) has issued a minor to moderate flood warning for the Hawkesbury and Nepean Rivers at Menangle Bridge, North Richmond and Putty Road.
With a deepening east coast low set to bring heavy rainfall, on top of the ongoing rainfall the area has already experienced, there is potential for minor to moderate flooding along the Nepean and Hawkesbury Rivers.
It’s projected that minor flooding will occur along the Nepean River at Menangle Bridge by Wednesday morning where it may reach 5.2m. The river could rise to 9.2m, a moderate flood level, by Wednesday afternoon with the forecasted rainfall.
Grose River, at Grose Wold, and the Hawkesbury River at North Richmond are also experiencing rising river levels with minor flooding, exceeding 3.8m, predicted for Wednesday morning which could rise to a moderate level, about 7.9m, by the afternoon
Colo River at Putty Road is also likely to experience minor flooding, possibly reaching 2.7m by Wednesday morning.
The Penrith NSW SES have set up a flood watch for flooding at the Nepean and Hawkesbury Rivers.
Council has advised locals to avoid driving through flood water and to keep up to date with weather forecasts and traffic conditions
Sandbags handed out to locals as flood levels predicted to rise
NSW Penrith SES and Penrith City Council volunteers are handing out sandbags from Jamison Park as flood levels are predicted to rise with ongoing rainfall.
From 8:30am today, residents can collect sandbags from the park, entering via York Rd opposite Prestons Street.
A second sandbag collection point has been set up at the Londonderry Neighbourhood Centre – 360 Carrington Rd, Londonderry NSW 2753.
This sandbag collection point is only for those closest and people are not encouraged to travel.
Locals are advised to only attend this collection point if Jamison Park is further.
Like the Jamison Park pick up point, sandbags are finite so people are encouraged to only taken what they need.
As of 12:20pm Penrith City Council announces the closure of a number of roads due to flooding, including:
- St Marys Road/Stony Creek Road (at Causeway)
- Eighth Ave, Llandilo
- Torkington Rd, Londonderry
- Carrington Rd, Londonderry
- The Kingsway, Werrington
- Luddenham Road, Luddenham near Twin Creeks
Roads may close and reopen with limited notice by authorities.
Penrith residents are asked to plan ahead and limit unnecessary travel.
People are also urged not to walk, ride or drive through floodwaters.
Local music event cancelled due to heavy rain
Penrith City Council has cancelled ‘Lunch Time Tunes’ this morning following unprecedented levels of heavy rainfall.
The much-anticipated event was meant to take place today between 12pm and 2pm at Coachmans Park, St Marys.
Local talent were set to take the stage and rejuvenate workers during their midweek lunch break with some stellar tunes.
A postponed date is yet to be announced.
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