The Blue Mountains has been declared a Natural Disaster Area for the second time in four months following torrential rains in recent days.
Since Saturday, the local government area has received more than 340mm of rain, with 207mm falling on Sunday alone – more than double any 24-hour period this year. The highest previous total was 101 mm on 7 March.
The wet weather event has caused extensive landslips, tree falls, road closures, flooding, drainage problems and leaking buildings.
“The Council and I are urging everyone to limit movements and to be extremely careful if you need to move around. The risks are very real, and very high. Be aware of falling trees – the immense amount of rain that has fallen has softened the ground considerably,” said Mayor, Mark Greenhill.
“This is the second major rain and flood event we’ve experienced this year, and the fourth over the last three years. It is taking a real and compounded toll on our natural environment and infrastructure, as well as on our community.
“We’ve now been declared a Natural Disaster Area, along with 22 other LGAs across the state so far. And it’s the best thing for us in the circumstances. It opens doors to resources and support mechanisms that will be vital to managing the crisis, and the clean up to follow.”
The Mayor has encouraged local residents to make use of the new Emergency Dashboard launched by Council at the end of last year.
“It’s a brilliant resource designed to provide local, up to the minute information during these kinds of events,” he said.
The Emergency Dashboard includes updates from emergency services, latest news, and local road closures, as well as helpful recovery information.
Click to access the emergency dashboard online.
