NSW floods: Storms predicted to ease but low-lying areas remain at high risk

Sydneysiders have been warned floodwaters will continue to rise in low-lying areas as torrential rains head towards the NSW mid-north coast.

Sydneysiders have been warned floodwaters will continue to rise in low-lying areas as torrential rains that have hammered the city for days head towards the NSW mid-north coast.

While Sydney’s wet weather is expected to ease, more than 150 flood evacuation orders and warnings impacting 50,000 ­people were in place across NSW on Tuesday evening.

Anthony Albanese, just returned from his visit to Europe, will tour flood-ravaged areas with NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister committed to making support for flood victims available in the form of hardship grants, low-interest loans and money for structural ­repairs.

He would not be drawn on the long-running debate on whether to raise Sydney’s Warragamba Dam wall. “Those issues, of course, are controversial,” he said.

“What’s clear is we need to get through the immediate crisis … and then we need to examine any policy response … required.”

Jim Chalmers said the government was considering employing the disaster recovery payment to provide $1000 for those displaced from their homes.

The Insurance Council of Australia has stopped short of declaring the NSW floods a catastrophe but has escalated its response to a “significant event” and moved to prioritise claims for flood-affected customers after a meeting of insurers on Tuesday morning.

By Tuesday, almost 1600 policy­holders had lodged claims.

The State Emergency Service had fielded 1647 requests for ­assistance over Tuesday, including 149 flood rescues. Several major roads remained closed from flooding and landslips.

Families in flood-affected areas will be given financial relief from childcare fees and paid leave, Education Minister Jason Clare has announced.

Parents in the 23 LGAs that have been declared natural disaster areas will be able to waive gap fees for children not attending care during the emergency, including when the service is closed.

Farmer Matt Vella in his drenched fields of iceberg lettuce inspecting the damage of floodwaters. Picture: Jane Dempster

They will also receive extra paid absences so that they don’t use up annual leave during the emergency.

The Hawkesbury River peaked at 14m on Tuesday, higher than the 13.8m level reached in the March floods.

Some locations across NSW saw 800mm of rain in four days.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for heavy rainfall for Wednesday on the mid-north coast while easing throughout the Hunter.

A flood warning was issued for the Macquarie River, with major flooding possible at Warren from Wednesday. Flood warnings were also issued for Wollombi Brook, Lower Hunter and Tuggerah Lake, with major flooding expected at Long Jetty and moderate flooding at Singleton.

Evacuation orders were issued for parts of Windsor and Shanes Park in Sydney’s northwest, and low-lying areas in Tuggerah and Budgewoi Lakes.

Across Greater Sydney and the NSW south coast, many BOM warnings were downgraded on Tuesday as flooding eased in the Shoalhaven River at Nowra and the Cooks River at Tempe.

The Warragamba Dam continued to spill at 160 gigalitres a day, down from 200 GL/day on Tuesday morning, as inflows steadily receded.

Despite an easing of flooding expected throughout the week, high chances of rain and strong winds of up to 30km/h are forecast for the rest of the week.

The BOM has predicted lower levels of rain on Friday, before it picks back up again at the weekend with up to 20mm expected.

It released its latest climate driver update on Tuesday, warning of a negative Indian Ocean Dipole, a phenomenon similar to La Nina, which causes warmer ocean temperatures off the northwest of the country, increasing the chance of above average rainfall over winter and spring.

It also warned of a 50 per cent chance of a third consecutive La Nina forming later in the year.