Flood Watch

A Flood Watch provides early advice of potential riverine flooding to emergency services and communities at risk of flooding. Flood Watches are issued when the combination of forecast rainfall and catchment or other hydrological conditions indicate that there is a significant risk of potential flooding.

Flood Warning

Flood Warnings are issued by the Bureau to advise that flooding is occurring or expected to occur in a geographical area based on defined criteria. Flood Warnings may include either qualitative or quantitative predictions or may include a statement about future flooding that is more generalised. The type of prediction provided depends on the quality of real-time rainfall and river level data, the capability of rainfall and hydrological forecast models and the level of service required.

Reporting or alert level

Water level rises to this level may cause the isolation of stock in very low-lying areas. Typically below the minor flood class level, this is the level at which a river alert is issued (where available).

Predicted River Height

Height (in metres) to which the river is predicted to rise at the river gauge referred to in the warning. The actual depth of flood water will vary across the floodplain. Knowledge of past flood events, as well as estimates of flood levels from flood studies, are used by local Councils, emergency services and landowners to determine which areas are likely to be flooded from the predicted river height. The accuracy of these predictions will depend on a number of factors, including the type of flood forecasting model and its input data. Predicted river heights are subject to forecasting error and are regularly updated as more information becomes available during a flood event.

Observed River Height

Depth of water (in metres) at a river height measuring gauge located along the river. In most cases, a zero reading is the lowest water level that is reached during dry conditions. In many tidal areas, as well as a few inland areas, river levels are expressed in metres above mean sea level or Australian Height Datum (AHD).

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Meaning of evacuation warnings and orders

EVACUATION WARNING

A YELLOW shaded area will appear on the map

When flooding is likely to cut evacuation routes or inundate property, the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) may issue an Evacuation Warning as a ‘heads up’ to prepare for possible future evacuation.

Being prepared will allow you to respond quickly if flooding is about to happen. An Evacuation Warning will allow you time to prepare now before a possible Evacuation Order is issued, when you may have to leave immediately.

Link for more information

To prepare for possible evacuation:
  • Stack possessions, records, stock or equipment on benches and tables, placing electrical items on top
  • Secure objects that are likely to float and cause damage
  • Relocate waste containers, chemicals and poisons well above floor level
  • Activate your Home or Business FloodSafe Plan
  • Locate important papers, valuables and mementos. Place them in your Emergency Kit
  • Keep listening to your local radio station for information, updates and advice
  • Keep listening to your local radio station for information, updates and advice
  • Keep in contact with your neighbours
  • Be prepared to evacuate if advised by emergency services
  • Be prepared to evacuate if advised by emergency services

EVACUATION ORDER

A RED shaded area will appear on the map

When flooding is about to happen and you are required to evacuate, the SES will issue an Evacuation Order advising people of what to do and where to go. These orders are authorised by the local SES Region Controller.

Link for more information

There are a number of ways you might hear about the need to evacuate including:
  • Doorknock by SES or Police
  • Radio stations
  • Automated telephone and/or SMS

You must evacuate immediately. Remaining in flooded areas is dangerous and may place your life and those of emergency service volunteers and workers at risk. You should try to seek shelter with family or friends well away from flood impacted areas. In larger floods, evacuation centres may be established.

When you leave:
  • Turn off the electricity and gas at the mains before you leave and turn off and secure any gas bottles
  • Take your pets with you
  • Never enter or travel through floodwater
  • Keep listening to your local radio station for information, updates and advice
  • Follow your Home or Business FloodSafe Plan
  • Follow all instructions given by emergency services

Our advice is to leave early as roads may become congested or access routes may be cut.

SES StormSafe

State emergency Services (SES) Stormsafe.
This app can assist you in becoming better prepared for storms, with local storm information, history and events, as well as information on what to do just before, during and after the storm.

SES FloodSafe

State emergency Services (SES) Floodsafe.
This app can assist you in becoming better prepared for floods, with local flood information, history and events, as well as information on what to do just before, during and after the flood.

Rain Alarm

This weather App warns you about rain or snow approaching your location using push notifications. It also displays and animates on a world map the latest radar images from many weather services around the world.

Rain Parrot

This weather App warns you about rain or snow approaching your location using push notifications. It also displays and animates on a world map the latest radar images from many weather services around the world.

Storm

Radar, Storm Tracking, Hurricanes, Accurate Lightning & Precipitation Alerts

Weather

Weather by WillyWeather (Including wind speed and wind predictions).

Raw Rescue Footage

Youtube resue footage

Privacy

NSW Public Works is a division of the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation (DFSI).

This NSW Public Works website is maintained by Manly Hydraulics Laboratory. This Privacy Policy applies to all the publicly accessible pages on this site located at www.floodsnearm.com.au DFSI does not have any responsibility for the privacy policies or practices of third party sites linked to this site. If you have any questions about this site, or the application of this Privacy Policy or a request for access to information held please contact:

  • Privacy Coordinator
  • Department of Finance, Services and Innovation
  • 2-24 Rawson Place
  • Sydney NSW 2000
  • Ph: (02) 9372 8013

Users of this site are entitled to expect that any information collected as a result of that use will be treated within the terms of the NSW Government's privacy responsibilities and obligations. The NSW Government's privacy practices are regulated by the New South Wales Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998.

What information do we collect?

When you look at the pages on this site, our computers automatically record information that identifies, for each page accessed:

  • the IP (Internet Protocol) address of the machine which has accessed it
  • your top-level domain name (for example .com, .gov, .au, .uk etc.)
  • the address of your server
  • the date and time of your visit to the site
  • the pages accessed and documents downloaded
  • the previous site visited; and the type of browser and operating system you have used.

Cookies

'Cookies' are small pieces of text data that a web server can store on, and later retrieve from, a user's computer. They do not personally identify you, but do identify your browser. Cookies can be either 'persistent' or 'session' based. Persistent cookies are stored on your computer, contain an expiration date, and may be used to track your browsing behaviour upon return to the issuing web site. Session cookies are short-lived, are used only during a browsing session, and expire when you shut down your browser.

This site uses persistent cookies

They record your preferences in relation to your use of the site and provide us with other information about your enquiry that allows us to recognise your browser if you return to this website in the future. This allows DFSI to present information that may be most relevant to you based on your previous visits. They also help DFSI to understand what parts of the site users find the most useful and improve the effectiveness of the website.

The cookies on this site do not read the information on your hard drive. They do not make your computer perform any actions or make your computer send information to any other computer via the internet. DFSI makes no attempt to associate cookies with users' names or identities. Our server cannot find out your name or email address, or anything about your computer, by using cookies.

How do we use the information collected?

The information collected during each visit is aggregated with similar logged information and published in reports in order for DFSI to identify patterns of usage of the site. This will assist us in improving this site and the services offered on it.

DFSI will not disclose or publish information that identifies individual computers, or potentially identifies sub-groupings of addresses, without consent or otherwise in accordance with the New South Wales Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998.

What exceptions are there to this rule?

DFSI will collect, use and disclose more extensive information than stated above in the following circumstances:

  • unauthorised attempts to access files which are not published DFSI pages
  • unauthorised tampering or interference with files published on the site
  • unauthorised attempts to index the contents of the site by other sites
  • attempts to intercept messages of other users of the site
  • communications which are defamatory, abusive, vilify individuals or groups or which give rise to a suspicion that an offence is being committed and
  • attempts to otherwise compromise the security of the web server, breach the laws of the State of New South Wales or Commonwealth of Australia, or interfere with the enjoyment of the site by other users.

DFSI reserves the right to make disclosures to relevant authorities where the use of this site raises a suspicion that an offence is being, or has been, committed.

In the event of an investigation, DFSI will provide access to data to any law enforcement agency that may execute a warrant to inspect our logs.

Is the information stored securely?

Yes. Information collected is stored in an appropriately secure format and held by DFSI for archival purposes. When the information is no longer required for the purposes for which it was collected it is deleted.

What will we do with information provided as feedback?

DFSI provides feedback facilities on this site to allow users to provide input into the future development of the site and to comment on the provision of service by the office. The provision of personal details on feedback is optional.

Users provide personal details for the purpose of receiving a reply to their feedback. This information will only be used for the purpose for which it was provided. We will not add your email address or name to any mailing list.

DFSI may publish aggregated information about feedback on the site, to the extent that it does not identify or cannot be used to identify individual users.

Who else has access to information within the department?

The Corporate Affairs branch captures this information on its own computers and through the use of third-party analytical software such as Google Analytics. Access to the raw data is restricted to a limited number of officers in Corporate Affairs, ServiceFirst (our Host), and DFSI for the purpose of analysis and to report on the success of the site in meeting the office's communication and access objectives.

If you would like to access information held about you by ServiceFirst please contact:

  • Privacy Coordinator
  • Department of Finance, Services and Innovation
  • 2-24 Rawson Place
  • Sydney NSW 2000
  • Ph: (02) 9372 8013

Will this policy be updated over time?

Due to the developing nature of privacy principles for online communication, this policy may be modified or expanded in light of new developments or issues that may arise from time to time. The amended policy will be posted to this site and will operate from the time it is posted.