Flood crisis deepens as bill hits $2bn

Torrential rain is ­expected to worsen the flood crisis on the NSW mid-north coast and western Sydney, adding to a $2bn damages bill and forcing thousands more evacuations.

The Hawkesbury river at Windsor Bridge, Windsor, northwest Sydney. Picture: John Feder

Torrential rain on Tuesday is ­expected to worsen the flood crisis gripping the NSW mid-north coast and western Sydney, adding to a damages bill that already exceeds $2bn and forcing thousands more evacuations.

As Scott Morrison placed the Defence Force on alert to assist flood-bound communities and sent two search and rescue helicopters, Emergency Management Minister David Littleproud criticised the NSW government for ­allowing residential development on flood plains, particularly the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley.

Mr Littleproud said he ­expected state governments, which had authority over local governments, to tighten planning regimes to take into account natural disaster risks.

“The Australian taxpayer can’t keep coming back and owning this. We can’t be the insurer of last resort,’’ Mr Littleproud said.

 

Insurers reeling from thousands of claims already lodged joined demands for an end to plans to move more than 130,000 new residents into areas in the ­Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley now declared disaster zones.

NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes said he had paused the approval of future residential rezonings on the city’s northwest fringe until Infrastructure NSW had completed the business case to support the Hawkesbury Nepean Valley Flood Strategy.

Insurers have already received more than 9500 claims, and the Insurance Council of Australia has declared a catastrophe for large parts of NSW, giving affected policy holders priority for assistance. A similar declaration may be ­issued for parts of southeastern Queensland. More than 18,000 people have already been forced to leave their homes in the face of mounting floodwaters, as the rain band that wreaked havoc across the eastern seaboard merged with a second weather system that had moved from the nation’s inland.

 

At least 34 local government areas in NSW have been declared natural disaster zones.

On the mid-north coast, 15,000 people fled to temporary shelter as evacuation orders were issued for the Kempsey CBD and low-lying areas of Port Macquarie, Macksville, Taree and Wauchope.

Red Oak, near Port Macquarie, recorded the state’s highest total rainfall between Thursday night and Monday of 889mm.

About 3000 people have been evacuated from the Nepean-Hawkesbury region as spills from Sydney’s giant Warragamba Dam and forecast heavy rainfall in flooded areas continued to cause alarm.

Water was pouring from the dam at a rate of 300 gigalitres a day on Monday, coming off an overnight peak of 500 gigalitres a day.

Warragamba holds just over 2000 gigalitres at capacity.

NSW Water said the heavy rainfall expected on Tuesday could push the spill to a new peak by midweek.

Water levels across NSW have risen significantly, with at least 16 flood evacuation orders and 14 evacuation warnings active on Monday across the state.

The Bureau of Meteorology warned that Tuesday would be another “critical day” as volatile storm pockets threatened to bring torrential rail.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned that the crisis would continue for much of the week.

She said citizens were at “breaking point’’ as they faced the floods, after a year in which they had been confronted by bushfires and the coronavirus.

 

Ian Dinham, the president of Floodplain Management Australia said the flooding in the ­Hawkesbury-Nepean area was not unexpected.

“Since the 1990s, various studies and reports have highlighted the extreme flood risks in this valley,” Mr Dinham said.

“As recently as June last year, the NSW State Emergency ­Service released a ­report — ­Hazard and Risk in the ­Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley — that details why the floods in this area are so large and deep, and why they are so dangerous.’’

The Bureau of Meteorology has warned that some parts of western NSW could experience as much as a month’s worth of rain in the next 48 hours with rainfall stretching from the Queensland border to as far south as Victoria and as far west as Alice Springs.

People who have been ­adversely affected by the storms and floods in NSW can apply for a disaster recovery payment.

 

The one-off federal government lump sum payment is $1000 per eligible adult and $400 per ­eligible child, covering 34 local government areas.

It is available to people who have been seriously injured, lost their home or had a major asset damaged, or had an immediate family member die or go missing.

The Prime Minister said the Australian Defence Force was on standby to render assistance if required for the “task that still lies ahead”, particularly in the recovery phase.

Emergency Management Australia, the federal government’s disaster response body, received an official request for assistance from NSW for two search and rescue helicopters operating out of the state’s south coast for 24-hour operations.

The Defence Force said it would begin the service on Tuesday.

Victoria has sent nearly 30 emergency personnel to NSW to assist with the flood response.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the coastal low that has caused the heavy rain would move towards Bass Strait on Tuesday leaving NSW relatively rain-free on Wednesday.