Western Sydney residents warned to prepare for minor flooding

Warragamba dam expected to start spilling over after high rainfall, affecting areas between Penrith and Windsor.

Western Sydney residents have been warned to prepare for minor flooding after heavy rain, with the Warragamba dam expected to spill over.

The dam was expected to spill between 7am and 8am on Thursday, with minor flooding expected from Penrith to Windsor.

“Conditions will be dangerous,” State Emergency Service spokesman Phil Campbell said.

The SES had 200 calls for help overnight and 300 people were ordered to evacuate their homes at Sussex Inlet and St George’s Basin. Some took shelter in an evacuation centre set up at a nearby bowls club, an SES spokesman said.

Flooding was also expected in Nowra, threatening to close roads and leave properties isolated. Campbell said residents would unlikely be able to return home, with high tide expected at 5pm.

The SES said it was disappointed people had removed some safety signs warning of road closures and potential flooding.

Shoalhaven mayor Joanna Gash said safety signs had been taken down, causing havoc to drivers who were getting stuck on flooded roads.

“People have removed the closed signs on the roads and people are going through and getting caught and they think it is funny,” Gash said on Wednesday. “They think they have a bigger truck so they can go through and then they get stuck.”

The SES said they were “very disappointed to hear this behaviour is going on”.

“We are sad to know that we have had to do 67 rescues in the past 48 hours for people who continue to drive through floodwater, not only risking their own lives but also the lives of our volunteers,” an SES spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

“People doing this are risking other peoples lives by making the decision to move those signs.”

NSW residents living downstream from Jerrara Dam, west of Kiama, were able to return home safely after being evacuated from the area because of heavy rainfall.

Residents living in the lower areas of Mt Brandon Road, Jerrara Road and Jamberoo Road were evacuated on Tuesday morning following concerns the dam’s wall showed signs of failing.

Engineers from Kiama Council, along with the NSW SES, assessed the dam and issued an “all clear” on Wednesday morning.

source:theguardian.com