Highlights
- Some Indians have offered their homes and food to those who have been asked to evacuate
- Residents are urged to monitor the SES website
- A heavy downpour is expected in Sydney on Monday and Tuesday
Many members of the Indian community prepared themselves for the worst on Sunday evening as the NSW State Emergency Service started evacuating people along the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers.
Prabhjot Singh, a food delivery driver in Penrith, said his family packed their bags after the SES issued evacuation orders for areas not far from their home.
‘I could myself see water everywhere as I had been out delivering food,’ Mr Singh told SBS Hindi.
Mr Singh feared for his safety and returned home to his wife, who works part-time at a restaurant.
‘We checked the SES website through the night for updates and remained in touch with our friends.’
The SES was quick to issue an alert after the Nepean river at Penrith crossed the level of the 1961 flood event, which is considered one of the region’s worst-ever floods.
Mr Singh said they had planned to shift with a friend in Marsden Park.
But Marsden Park couldn’t have been a safer option for the young couple, as it carried similar flood warnings on Sunday evening.
The NSW SES had issued a series of evacuation warnings for communities residing along the Hawkesbury region, including those in Windsor CBD, McGraths Hill, South East Windsor, Wilberforce, Marsden Park, Riverstone, and Schofields.
‘We had almost left, but decided to wait until this morning,’ a panicked Marsden Park resident, who requested anonymity, said.
South Windsor resident and IT engineer Manoj Sharma didn't wait for an official order to evacuate.
He has moved with his wife and two children to a friend’s house in Cherrybrook.
Mr Sharma said he decided after receiving a message about the possible power outages in his area.
‘I work from home, and my wife works in city. It would be easier for her to travel to work from Cherrybrook, and I don’t have to worry about power cuts,’ Mr Sharma said.
Commuting amidst rain has become a concern for the wider-Indian community in Sydney.
Prasanth Vedula and his wife Ravali, who live in Blacktown, said their apartment’s basement was flooded on Saturday.
‘We live on the third floor of the building. The lift is not working since the water got into the basement, but our biggest worry is public transport,’ Mr Vedula said.
‘My wife commutes on trains to Sydney’s Olympic Park for work as she can’t drive. We are concerned about the likely delays on public transport for the next few days,’ he said.
Mr Vedula said his wife has now decided to learn driving.
After the flood-warnings, some residents decided to stock up on groceries.
‘The river in Windsor is currently flowing at 13 metre level, and the danger mark is at 19m. I thought it was wise to buy some portable water, dry milk, and grocery to be on the safer side,’ Dhaval Patel, who checks weather updates every hour, said.
Some residents have offered their houses on social media to those who have been ordered to evacuate.
Residents are requested to remain vigilant as the Bureau of Meteorology has forecasted 35 to 60 millimetres of rain on Monday and 45 to 80 mm on Tuesday in Sydney.
