Rains have been pouring into communities since Thursday, but a major dam overflow caused a crisis in parts of the east bank on Saturday, causing swelling in the rivers and causing flash floods.
The NSW and the federal government have signed 16 natural disaster declarations in the center and central-north coast areas from Hunter Valley near Sydney to Coff’s Harbor, NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliott told a news conference on Sunday.
No deaths have been reported yet – but, Elliott warned, “we are moving closer and closer to inevitable casualties.”
“We can’t say enough: don’t put yourself in danger, don’t put agencies there to help you in flood-prone situations,” he said.
At a news conference, the state’s premier Gladys Berezclian said some families were forced to relocate at midnight when the rivers rose to dangerous levels and that 4,000 more people could be displaced, mainly in the Hesbury area, the state’s premier Gladys Berezclian said in a news conference.
“This is not something we have seen since the 1960s,” he said. The parts of the state that have been hit hardest are the one-time events of a century; In other regions, such as the Hawksbury area, it’s a “one-in-50-year” event, he said.
Since Thursday, the State Emergency Service (SES) has responded to 1,000,000 calls for help and carried out more than 7,500 flood defenses. Thousands of emergency workers and volunteers help residents trapped on the ground.
Berejikalia urged residents to follow local guidelines, stay away from roads, and follow evacuation orders if necessary – even those who live in flooded areas and may have experienced flooding before. “This is a different matter,” he warned. “It’s different from what we’ve been going through for the last 50 years. So please take it seriously.”
Officials do not yet know how many homes or infrastructure were lost, but “the damage is significant,” he said.
Elliott said the declaration of a natural disaster could be extended further if the damage increases. The declaration allows those affected to receive financial assistance, including the recovery of damage to homes, subsidies for affected livestock or agriculture, and low- or zero-interest loans.
With heavy rains forecast to move across the state from the west, heavy rains are likely to continue next week, said Agata Emilska of the Bureau of Meteorology. The most affected areas may receive more than four times the average monthly rainfall in just two days in March.
Wednesday will be the first day of relief for some, with the rain expected to return.
.
