Transport for NSW acting chief operations officer Mark Hutchings said crews were working around the clock to assess damage and clear debris quickly, but delays were expected to continue throughout the week.
“Flooding is also affecting a number of our stations so people need to be vigilant and do not run for your service as platforms can be slippery when wet,” Mr Hutchings said.
Light rain and strong winds at Bronte on Wednesday.Credit:Brook Mitchell
Commuters are also urged to be cautious on the road network with localised flooding and damage across the state. A number of roads across Sydney remain closed as a result.
Strong wind gusts lash Sydney
Thanks to a long-lasting east coast low – which is finally set to move off the NSW coast later on Wednesday – damaging wind gusts are expected in the state’s east.
Already, strong gusts have been recorded at Molineux Point (111km/h at 9.34pm on Tuesday), Kurnell (100km/h at 9.53pm), and Sydney Airport (94km/h at 9.20pm).
The SES helps to evacuate children from a childcare centre in Manly.Credit:James Brickwood
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Jackson Browne said damaging winds would ease across Sydney and the state’s south coast later on Wednesday.
Mr Browne said the east coast low is expected to push off the coast by evening, but winds were a major concern before then.
“The State Emergency Service advises that people should move vehicles under cover or away from trees, secure or put away loose items around your house, yard and balcony and keep at least eight metres away from fallen power lines or objects that may be energised, such as fences,” the Bureau of Meteorology warned in a statement.
There is also a separate severe weather warning for hazardous surf across the Hunter Coast, Sydney Coast, Illawarra Coast, Batemans Coast and Eden Coast.
The NSW Police Marine Area Command urged people to consider staying out of the water and to avoid walking near surf-exposed areas.
Thousands are also still without powers following the northern beaches “bullseye” which brought major flash flooding to the area.
About 9600 customers are still without supply across NSW, with Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands and South Coast the most affected areas.
Sydney’s record-busting deluge has killed at least two people, forced thousands to abandon their homes and will trigger a sharp climb in insurance claims.
Flash flooding in Narrabeen on Tuesday afternoon. Credit:Nick Moir
On Tuesday night, the State Emergency Service ordered people in McGraths Hill and Mulgrave in Sydney’s north-west to evacuate by 8.30pm and people in the Glenridding and Dunolly townships in Singleton to leave by 10pm.
It said people affected by earlier evacuation orders for Scone in the Hunter region and low-lying properties on the Lower Macleay River in northern NSW could safely return with caution.
The 820 millimetres of rain that has fallen on Sydney since the beginning of January is more than double the year-to-date average and smashes the previous record, set in 1956, of 782mm. Some areas recorded more than 120mm in six hours on Tuesday, turning roads into rivers and causing chaos for commuters.
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Sydneysiders from all corners of the city – Camden in the south, Richmond in the north and Narrabeen on the coast – watched on in horror on Tuesday as their suburbs were submerged.
The SES ordered all residents in the north-western Sydney suburbs of McGraths Hill and Mulgrave to evacuate by 8.30pm, before the Hawkesbury River was expected to reach 13.5 metres. Late on Tuesday night the river was still rising and had exceeded flood levels from March 2021 at North Richmond, Windsor, Sackville, Lower Portland and Wisemans Ferry. Peaks were expected overnight and into Wednesday.
About 40,000 people across the state were ordered to leave their homes, and another 20,000 were told to prepare to leave. These included suburbs along the Nepean, Georges and Hawkesbury rivers, as well as residents near Narrabeen Lagoon and Manly Dam, where water was spilling over dam walls.
About midnight, the SES said residents of all properties surrounding Narrabeen Lagoon could return. But it warned, “flood damage could be widespread.”
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Two bodies were found in Coopers Creek stormwater canal in Wentworthville about 8.20am on Tuesday, believed to be 67-year-old Hemalathasolhyr Satchithanantham and her 34-year-old son, Bramooth.
The woman’s Mazda 3 was found in the same canal at the adjoining suburb of Wentworthville on Monday afternoon.
The Insurance Council of Australia on Tuesday reported receiving 96,844 claims related to the floods in NSW and south-east Queensland – a 12 per cent increase within 24 hours.
“As we expected, we are now seeing an influx of claims from NSW,” said Andrew Hall, the council’s chief executive officer.
The estimated current cost of claims now stands at $1.45 billion. About 80 per cent of total claims are for domestic property, 17 per cent for cars and the remainder commercial property claims. However, the extensive damage which is yet to be counted from today’s storm will push these numbers up significantly more.
At Castle Cove, a large section of road and a retaining wall collapsed behind a row of shops, while at Westfield, Bondi Junction, panels fell from the ceiling over escalators.
Transport Minister warns of ‘extreme’ train delays as strong wind gusts lash Sydney
Source: Philippines Alive
