Clean up begins as flood-hit communities offered disaster payments

Flood-ravaged communities in Sydney’s west will be offered disaster assistance after their seventh flood in 18 months, while travellers are being warned to expect disruptions as authorities work to repair damaged transport routes.

Thousands of residents north-west of Sydney were evacuated from their homes and more than 140 people were rescued from floodwaters on Saturday night, while about 150 people in the Megalong Valley remain cut off due to landslip damage to Megalong Road – the only route in and out of the valley.

Fire crews work to clear an old gum tree that fell over Darling Street in Balmain, outside the London Hotel, following wild weather.Credit: Dylan Coker

In Balmain, a massive old gum fell across Darling Street outside the London Hotel around 3.30pm on Sunday. It brought down wires and damaged one car, but spared two vehicles across the street when it managed to fall between them.

“[The tree] almost hit the London balcony … luckily no one was injured,” one patron told 9News.

Fire crews were working to clear the route on Sunday evening.

On Sydney’s rail network, speed restrictions will slow travel times along the T1 North Shore Line from Chatswood to Hornsby, the T4 Illawarra line from Arncliffe to Waterfall and the Central Coast/Newcastle line from Berowra to Gosford.

Authorities are diverting trains and operating reduced services on the T2 and T5 train lines as infrastructure crews work to repair damage along one citybound route at Westmead.

On the South Coast Line, buses are replacing trains in both direct directions between Waterfall and Bomaderry, affecting commuters in Wollongong and Port Kembla, due to damaged tracks.

The NSW and federal government on Sunday announced it would open financial support for residents, businesses and councils in 13 local government areas: Blue Mountains, Camden, Hawkesbury, Kiama, Liverpool, Penrith, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Sutherland, Upper Lachlan, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly and Wollongong.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the money, delivered under the federal government’s Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, would be focused on supporting people who lost their homes.

Warren and Sherryl Hornsby at their home in Pitt Town, which sits against the Hawkesbury River. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

“Federal and state funds will flow to local councils, as well as to communities that have been knocked over, particularly those that have lost their houses, or those in a peril over the last 28 hours,” he said on Sky News.

The State Emergency Service performed 146 flood rescues across the state in the 24 hours to 5am – mostly for people who drove into flooded water – and responded to 1877 calls for help.

The agency held the most concern for areas of North Richmond, which experienced major flooding when the Hawkesbury River peaked at 10.52 metres at 9pm on Saturday.

As of 6.40pm on Sunday, the river was at 8.44 metres with moderate flooding.

“The Hawkesbury River at North Richmond … may remain above the minor flood level (3.80 metres) until Monday morning,” the Bureau of Meteorology reported.

At Windsor, the Hawkesbury was sitting at 9.22 metres and falling. The area is experiencing moderate flooding, the bureau said, adding that the river would stay at this level until Monday afternoon. Water is lapping at the base of the Windsor Bridge.

At Penrith, the Nepean River experienced minor flooding.

“There are communities in the Hawkesbury that have been flooded multiple times over the last few years,” said Dallas Burnes, the SES senior manager of state operations, on Nine’s Today. He added that his own home in the Illawarra had been damaged. “I can only feel for them, it’s really hard. You can’t stop a flood.”

The Windsor Bridge has water lapping at its base, but has not yet gone under.Credit: Nine News

Hawkesbury mayor Sarah McMahon said her community was still “very anxious”.

“People have been very stressed overnight when those evacuation warnings came in late,” she said.

“We still do have a lot of people not in their homes and a lot of people concerned about their businesses on the lowlands.”

The bureau cancelled the majority of its flood warnings for other waterways throughout the state, but an advice-level warning has been issued by the SES for Byron Bay, following huge rainfall overnight.

The warnings were first issued in the hours after the Warragamba Dam reached capacity and began spilling over at 5.45am on Saturday.

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