NSW floods: Images taken from the sky paint haunting picture for western Sydney residents
Haunting aerial images across western Sydney paint a devastating picture of the sheer destruction caused by a one-in-100-year flood.
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Eerie pictures taken from a helicopter reveal the sheer devastation the floods have had on families across NSW, including those in western Sydney.
What began as a heavy rain last Thursday quickly spiralled into one of the state’s worst flooding events in decades.
While the sun was beaming down on much of NSW on Wednesday, dozens of flood warnings remained in place amid concerns it could take weeks or even months for the water to clear.
Windsor, in Sydney’s northwest, is one of the worst-hit areas of the city.
Aerial shots taken in the region paint a shocking picture of destruction, with homes submerged and roads and bridges under water.
On Tuesday a bridge designed to be “floodproof” went almost completely under water as residents in Windsor waited anxiously while the worst flooding wreaked havoc.
At the time the Bureau of Meteorology warned residents could experience the worst flooding event in northwest Sydney since November 1961.
Floodwaters were expected to rise to crisis levels at Windsor, Pitt Town, Freemans Reach and Colo.
Nearby Richmond was another area that experienced much of the destruction, with an SES spokeswoman confirming major flooding remained around the Windsor area, including North Richmond, Lower Portland and suburbs surrounding the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment on Tuesday.
By Wednesday many homes were almost completely under water.
The sun has come out in parts of NSW after days of torrential rain, but flood dangers remain and residents have been told to stay vigilant.
About 6000 people were evacuated in the 24 hours up to 8am on Wednesday, and several rivers were still at risk of major flooding, officials said at a morning news conference.
“What we still have to be aware of is the fact that thousands and thousands of people are still on evacuation warnings, that the rivers will continue to swell, that catchments will continue to experience flows of water not seen in 50 years and in some places 100 years,” NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said earlier on Wednesday.
“And that is what is our primary concern.”
RELATED:Sun is out but major flooding still a risk
Two weather systems that threatened to dump more rain on the state appear to have moved through, and no major rainfall is forecast for the next week.
“The weather system that’s been generating that torrential rainfall has been pushed out into the Pacific Ocean, and we’re looking at quite a few days of no rain, no significant rain and for most of NSW,” the weather bureau’s Jane Golding said.
Some possibly strong and gusty winds over the southern ranges and the Illawarra were of concern and could knock down trees, she added.
NSW residents were warned of being lulled into a false sense of security amid the newly blue skies, and officials strongly urged people not to enter floodwater that could contain debris and harmful contamination.
On Tuesday the bureau warned it could take months for floodwaters to clear.
Several warnings remain in place, particularly the Clarence, Colo, Macintyre, Hawkesbury and Nepean, and the Wollombi Brook rivers.
The past week’s floods have been the worst for decades and forced thousands to leave their homes, many of whom were recently affected by both bushfires and drought.
It was also confirmed on Wednesday that a man died after his car became trapped in floodwaters in Sydney’s northwest on Wednesday morning.
Emergency crews were called to Cattai Ridge Road, near Hidden Valley Lane, at Glenorie just before 6.30am to search for a car that was in Cattai Creek.
It took almost seven hours for crews to locate the vehicle, which had a man’s body inside.
He has not been formally identified, and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
On Tuesday the Bureau said some parts of NSW had been soaked in more than eight months worth of rain in just a week. Some areas copped more than 100mm of rain over a seven-day period.
Originally published as NSW floods: Images taken from the sky paint haunting picture for western Sydney residents
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