Evac Orders Sent To Southwest Syd Residents In What Could Become NSW’s 3rd Major Flood Of 2022

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Published

July 3, 2022

Parts of Sydney’s southwest have been ordered to evacuate as heavy rain battered New South Wales on Saturday night. This comes after Sydney and the Illawarra were told to expect an entire month’s worth of rain in just one day.

Folks in Camden were officially told to leave after their town copped 75mm of rain on Saturday as per the Sydney Morning Herald.

A #Flood Watch is current for central and southern #NSW coastal catchments with heavy #rain expected this weekend🌧️

This means the potential for minor (green), moderate (orange) and major (red) flooding, including the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley.

More info: https://t.co/zLw6t51oVw pic.twitter.com/ssC92hWAb2

— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) July 2, 2022

Many residents in Woronora, Chipping Norton, Georges Hill, Liverpool, Lansvale, Moorebank and Warwick Farm were also sent text messages telling them to be ready to evacuate. Parts of Wallacia have since been added to the evacuation list.

The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) received over 1,000 calls from people in need of assistance as per 9 News.

One of these residents was a Holsworthy woman who was literally hanging onto a tree for an hour waiting to be rescued.

#BREAKING: There has been a major escalation on the wild weather that is currently striking NSW.

Evacuation orders are in place amid fears people could soon be cut off by flood waters. @LydiaBilton #9News pic.twitter.com/VlLro0msaK

— 9News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) July 2, 2022

According to the SES, residents of Menangle, Liverpool, Milperra, Camden, North Richmond, Wallacia, Penrith, Sackville, Upper Colo and Windsor could receive “prepare to evacuate” text messages in the coming days.

“If you receive a text message from +61 444 444 444, it’s an official alert that requires attention and to take action early,” it said in a statement.

#NSWRFS crews successfully rescued 9 people from flood water in Austral this evening. The occupants from 2 vehicles were assisted to higher ground and have gone home safely.
For flood and storm assistance call the @NSWSES on 132 500. In life-threatening emergencies, call 000. pic.twitter.com/pjlGxUSswG

— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) July 2, 2022

Steph Cooke is the state’s Emergency Services Minister and told reporters there was a “very real risk of riverine flooding occurring over the days ahead” as per SBS.

“If in any doubt, please evacuate early. Don’t necessarily wait for us to put out an order asking or suggesting that you leave.

“If you find yourself in a vulnerable situation then you might want to think about evacuating that little bit earlier to somewhere where you feel safe. So … if there is an emergency that arises, particularly in the middle of the night, you are well out of harm’s way in advance.”

Earlier this week PEDESTRIAN.TV covered the extensive weather warnings issued for the next month.

If the Sydney flooding intensifies it could be deemed the third major flood for 2022.