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Thousands more residents have been evacuated, while others have been warned to prepare to leave following a massive downpour in New South Wales over the weekend.
More than 100 flood warnings remained in force for towns along the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers on Sunday morning after Friday’s monster deluge.
Thousands of residents in Sydney’s west and north-west have been evacuated, while 146 have been saved from flooding since Saturday morning.
Floodwaters are expected to peak on Sunday before easing after clouds parted over the weekend and little rain is forecast to fall until Tuesday.
The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) is carrying out crucial damage assessments across the state with a number of properties damaged or now classed as ‘uninhabitable’.
Thousands of residents in Sydney’s northwest have been evacuated and more than 140 rescued after flooding along the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers peaked on Saturday.
There were major concerns for the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers after the Warragamba Dam burst its banks on Saturday morning.
The dam released 200 gigalitres of water every hour into the downstream system.
The Hawkesbury River peaked at 10.52m at North Richmond in Sydney’s northwest corner about 9pm on Saturday, causing extensive flooding.
Those levels fell to 8.98m early on Sunday and are expected to fall below the moderate flood level of 7.9m on Sunday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).
Flooding at Windsor, just upstream, is above the moderate flood level at 9.35m and is expected to remain stable throughout the week.
Meanwhile, the Hawkesbury Rivers near Lower Portland continue to rise and are forecast to exceed the minor flood stage of 4.6m.
Minor flooding has receded rapidly across the Nepean River, peaking at 8.58m at Menangle Bridge on Saturday night and falling to 3.96m on Sunday morning.
Other communities have begun the grueling clean-up task after Friday’s deluge caused flash flooding on the New South Wales east coast (pictured).
The torrential downpour has created chaos on the streets and everything in them (pictured, a car in Wollongong)
Hawkesbury Mayor Sarah McMahon said the community is now stuck waiting for the waters to recede.
“Potentially our farmers, homeowners and residents living in the lowlands will need to see if their properties and businesses have been affected,” he said.
NSW SES Superintendent Scott McLennan said the agency is working to support the community.
“We are working through a number of warnings as the situation changes,” he said.
‘As the peaks of the Hawkesbury-Nepean River pass overnight, we will begin to see the gradual fall of the river and debris beginning to move downstream.
‘[Sunday] “It will be more about supporting those communities that have been isolated.”