Thousands evacuated along Hawkesbury River as Warragamba continues to spill

Thousands of residents north-west of Sydney were evacuated from their homes on Saturday night as the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers continued to rise after Friday’s mammoth rainfall, and the subsequent spilling of the Warragamba Dam.

Despite the sunny Saturday, emergency services issued 20 evacuation orders overnight, mainly for areas along the north-west of Sydney. Towns along the Hawkesbury, stretching from Richmond to Pitt Town, were subject to the orders, issued in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The State Emergency Service held the most concern for areas of North Richmond, which experienced major flooding when the Hawkesbury River peaked at 10.52 metres at 9pm on Saturday.

As of 6am Sunday, the river is at 8.98 metres and falling, with moderate flooding.

“The Hawkesbury River at North Richmond … may fall below the moderate flood level (7.90 metres) Sunday morning,” the Bureau of Meteorology reported.

At Windsor, the Hawkesbury is sitting at 9.35 metres, but could reach about 9.6 metres on Sunday morning. The area is experiencing moderate flooding, the bureau said, adding that the river would stay at this level until at least Monday.

At Penrith, the Nepean River is experiencing minor flooding, sitting at 4.84 metres. The bureau expects it to remain steady throughout Sunday.

The bureau cancelled the majority of its flood warnings for other waterways throughout the state.