KEY POINTS
- Wild weather continues to batter parts of NSW.
- Rain is expected to ease in Sydney on Saturday as storms move south.
- And in south-east Queensland, heavy rain is expected to continue into Sunday.
Premier Chris Minns has called for caution, noting just under 4000 volunteers “spent the night in the cold and windy and rainy conditions, saving people’s lives”.
Damage at Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Coalcliff, NSW on Saturday. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins
“While it does look like blue skies across Sydney at the moment and the emergency rain situation seems to be easing … it’s important to note that flood levels in some of the rivers, particularly in Western Sydney are continuing to rise,” he told reporters on Saturday.
The North Richmond area is also subject to evacuation orders after moderate flooding in the region prompted the closure of the Richmond and Yarramundi bridges.
York said the agency had so far responded to more than 4000 calls for help, including a car swept into a stormwater drain in Padstow and a train stuck in Bardwell Park.
A landslide has blocked Megalong Road in the Blue Mountains, isolating some residents. Source: AAP / Supplied
Flood watches remain
The bureau’s Steven Bernasconi said the situation was easing with heavy rainfall starting to move out into the Tasman Sea.
Storm debris covers Stanwell Park beach which has been cut following flash flooding in the northern suburb of Wollongong in the Illawarra, 6 Saturday April, 2024. Source: AAP / Dean Lewins
But flash flooding and landslips remain a concern for Wollongong, the Illawarra and the south coast with two people reportedly taken to hospital after a home at Mt Kiera washed into a creek.
In the Blue Mountains, a landslip on a primary access road left a community cut off with authorities scrambling to arrange food drops.
A woman takes pictures of the overflowing Parramatta river at the ferry wharf in Sydney on April 5, 2024, after heavy rain lashed eastern Australia, causing flash flooding and a string of emergency warnings up and down the Pacific coast. (Photo by Saeed KHAN / AFP) (Photo by SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images) Source: Getty, AFP / Saeed Khan
“It’s the only access in and out of the valley,” Mike Davis, the owner of nearby vineyard Megalong Creek Estate, told AAP.
Surfers and other beachgoers were warned to stay “well away from the surf and surf-exposed areas” due to dangerous conditions, particularly at east-facing beaches.
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