THE SQUIZ

A low pressure system hanging over NSW has wreaked havoc across Greater Sydney, bringing with it relentless rain and gale-force winds. It’s already Sydney’s wettest start to the year on record and authorities say the flooding stretches all the way down the coast.

GIVE US THE RUNDOWN

It seems like someone’s turned the rain tap on full ball and forgotten to turn it off. Most parts of Sydney were affected yesterday, with the northern suburbs copping the brunt of the downpour. At one point, there were almost 60 evacuation orders affecting 40,000 people. And just to give you a sense of how extreme the situation was, an area around the popular tourist suburb of Manly on the Northern Beaches was evacuated as the nearby dam started to spill. And there are still big problems in Western Sydney… Sadly, the bodies of a 67yo woman and her adult son were identified yesterday after their car was found in a stormwater canal in Wentworthville. That brings the state’s death toll 7 from these floods. Forecasters say there is some relief coming, but the flood threat remains as river levels continue to rise.

ARE AUTHORITIES RESPONDING QUICKLY?

Good question… There has been lots of criticism thrown around that the response has been too slow. PM Scott Morrison came out of COVID isolation last night and will travel to flood-ravaged towns in northern NSW today with new funding to support the reconstruction. The Defence Force has ramped up its operations in flood affected areas of NSW and Queensland, after some locals in NSW complained they had to rely on volunteers rather than emergency services. And yesterday, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said he took responsibility for the inadequate disaster response, saying it’s  “pretty clear” more could have been done. As for the recovery, he says it will “not take days and weeks, but months and years ahead.”