New South Wales residents have today been asked to exercise caution as they were given the all-clear to return to their flood-hit homes.
Friday's torrential rain prompted evacuations and emergency warnings across Sydney's Northern Beaches, Sydney's south-west and Illawarra areas as rivers flooded and Warragamba Dam spilled. The dam in the Blue Mountains supplies 80% of Sydney’s water.
Thousands had to evacuate their homes and more than 140 people were rescued from floodwaters which left entire communities cut off.
Among those rescued was an elderly man who was stranded on the roof of his car for several hours after being caught in the floods. Two others also escaped injury when their car skidded off a flooded road last night. The driver managed to get out with the help of state emergency services and police.
"All my clothes, all my work equipment, so my computer, my mobile phone that I need for work. And the cat's at home, not been fed since Friday," Megalong Valley resident Daniel Marsh said.
This morning, authorities downgraded flood warnings and lifted evacuation orders. State emergency services said they responded to 1877 calls, including 146 flood rescues in 24 hours.
'Still a lot of danger out there'
As floodwaters receded, the true extent of the damage was revealed across both NSW and Queensland. Around 30 properties have been destroyed and six deemed uninhabitable.
"It's fairly blue skies behind me, but that doesn't mean that the water danger is over, that the threat of flood is over," Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib said.
"There's a thing called the 'blue sky flood', where all of the water that feeds into from the tributaries into the local catchment areas basically comes together."
NSW State Emergency Services Commissioner Carlene York warned: "There's still a lot of roads cut and there's still a lot of danger out there and that obviously will worsen – not with the rain, but with the ability to see what's on the road and to be able to assess the danger”.
This week's flooding was the area's eighth flood in 18 months.
"Their lands are completely inundated and they have only just recovered from a series of floods over the last few years to be getting a really good crop. And now that work is all underwater," one resident said.
Natural disaster declared
NSW Premier Chris Minns yesterday declared a "natural disaster zone", allowing eligible affected residents to access grants for restoration of essential household items and repairs to their homes.
The package included funding for local councils to assist with clean-up costs, emergency accommodation, and small cash payments.
But while the announcement of funding was good news for residents, many who have returned home have been told to stay vigilant with more rainfall on the way.
The Bureau of Meteorology said although rainfall had generally eased, the weather system caused flooding in the state's catchments.
Queensland residents have been told specifically to prepare for isolated heavy falls between 50mm and 60mm. The bureau said a total of 100mm could fall across Logan, the Scenic Rim, and the Gold Coast.
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