Emergency services in Sydney conducted 40 flood rescues within a three-hour period overnight as intense rainfall and flash flooding hit the city. The State Emergency Service (SES) received 495 calls for help, with hundreds of homes losing power, particularly in the north-west suburbs of Dural, Sackville, and Glenwood, and southern areas including Arncliffe, Banksia, and Rockdale.
More than 104 millimetres of rain fell in Lidcombe within three hours, while Canterbury recorded 69mm and Bankstown Airport 67mm. Flash flooding forced the closure of major roads such as City West Link at Haberfield, Parramatta Road at Homebush, and Raw Square at Strathfield, causing traffic gridlock on the Anzac Bridge.
Western Sydney was hit hardest, with about a dozen homes evacuated in Fairfield. Resident Merry Shiba described how her property became inundated within minutes, turning her backyard into a river. She and her husband were assisted by emergency services and later returned home after the water receded. Another resident, Phat Tran, said he had never seen flooding so severe in his 30 years on Spring Street.
Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone warned that streets, homes, and car parks had been flooded, with SES and police responding to more than 70 incidents in the area. He noted that parks functioning as detention basins were holding floodwater as designed, helping to protect nearby homes.
The Bureau of Meteorology has cancelled its severe weather warning, and conditions are expected to ease. The SES said they are working through outstanding jobs as quickly as possible.
