Impact widens as NSW hit with record-breaking floods

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Impact widens as NSW hit with record-breaking floods

WHAT HAS CAUSED THE FLOODING?

* A low-pressure system over the NSW mid-north coast has dumped months of rain over a few days

* Catchments were already saturated, with year-to-date totals before this week already topping 1000mm in Port Macquarie and 690mm in Taree

* Taree’s Manning River is falling after reaching a record height of 6.45m, while the levee has been overtopped in Kempsey, population 30,000

WHICH COMMUNITIES ARE IMPACTED?

* Emergency warnings are active in 40 areas including Croki, Macksville, Dungog, Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Nambucca, Taree, Wingham, Bowraville and Gloucester

* 50,000 people are isolated due to floodwaters

* Disaster assistance has been activated in 19 local government areas

* A watch and act warning has been issued to Gronos Point in Sydney’s northwest

* Advice warnings have been issued in some areas around the Nepean River and South Sydney

* Three drivers have died: one at Rosewood near Port Macquarie, one in Dorrigo west of Coffs Harbour and one at Nana Glen north of Coffs Harbour. A fourth person died at Moto north of Taree.

* At least two people are missing: a man aged 49 in Nymboida and a man aged 51 in Bellingen

* More than 501mm of rain has fallen in Taree, about 388mm at Port Macquarie and more than 350mm at Kempsey since Tuesday

WHAT SERVICES HAVE BEEN AFFECTED?

* Several town centres are underwater

* 5700 households and businesses without power

* 181 schools are not operating or under minimal supervision, along with 102 childcare centres

* Scores of livestock have been washed down rivers, with survivors ending up on beaches and in town centres

* Evacuation centres have been set up at Bellingen, Dungog, Gloucester, Taree, Manning Point, Wingham, Bulahdelah, Tuncurry Beach, Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Nambucca, Old Bar, Wauchope and Coopernook

WHAT’S NEXT?

* Moderate rainfall is expected on the mid-north coast as the system moves south

* Sydney’s Nepean Dam is currently spilling and the Warragamba Dam is expected to spill sometime on Friday or Saturday.

* Between 60 and 100mm of rain is forecast over the Sydney and Blue Mountains region in next 24 hours

* Heavy rain is expected in Newcastle, Central Coast, Southern Tablelands, Snowy Mountains, Illawarra and South Coast on Friday

* Rain is expected to move south and shift off the NSW South Coast on Saturday morning

* Cold and windy conditions next week could bring more havoc, felling trees in wet ground

Sources: Bureau of Meteorology, SES NSW

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