This page provides information that relates to current weather and ocean condition warnings for the Central Coast, local impacts and Council's response.
It does not supersede current information from The Bureau of Meteorology for weather and ocean warnings or NSW SES as the lead agency to respond to flood and storm emergencies.
- NSW State Emergency Service (SES), available 24/7 for assistance for residents during flood and storm emergencies. Call 132 500. Follow NSW SES Facebook page
- Emergency Services - Police, Fire, Ambulance. In a life-threatening emergency, call Triple Zero (000).
Throughout weather events which impact the Central Coast, Council's focus is on community safety and distributing key information as quickly as possible. In addition, we are continuing our constant and close monitoring of lakes, waterways, beaches and roads for flooding and storm impacts, whilst mobilising crews on the ground as required.
CURRENT SITUATON
Last updated: 7 April 2022, 12:50pm
The Central Coast is currently experiencing heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding, landslides and debris across roads.
Flooding lower than the March 2022 flood is expected along the Hawkesbury. Moderate flooding is possible along the Hawkesbury River at North Richmond and Windsor. Minor flooding is expected along the Hawkesbury and Lower Nepean River at Penrith and possible at Sackville.
Surf and swell conditions are expected to be hazardous for coastal activities such as rock fishing, boating, and swimming in the Hunter Coast areas. There are partial beach closed across the Central Coast today. To see current status go to our beaches webpage.
Some beaches have been impacted by coastal erosion following recent heavy rainfall, strong winds and dangerous ocean conditions - specifically at The Entrance North Beach and Soldiers Beach. This has created serious safety risks with steep escarpments and exposed structures which are suspectable to movement and falling to the sand below. Do not walk on or near eroded beach escarpments - this is both dangerous and could cause serious injury for anyone in the vicinity, whether below or on top of the erosion scarp. It can also provide further risk to properties in the immediate area.
Please be aware of falling trees and potholes which occur following heavy rainfall. Falling trees on council roads and potholes can be reported to Council. Fallen trees over powerlines should be reported to AUSGRID (never go near fallen powerlines). Never drive through floodwaters and keep clear of creeks and storm drains.
- Keep up to date with weather warnings and conditions at the Bureau of Meteorology website.
- Sandbags may be available from local SES units - Gosford (1 Pateman Rd, Erina) or Wyong (12 Levitt Street, Wyong) . View SES instructions for creating, using and disposing of sandbags.
Beach and waterways
Erosion impacts and warning - The foreshore of The Entrance Beach (north of the Wyuna Street access way and south of The North Entrance Surf Life Saving Club) was significantly impacted from recent dangerous surf conditions, strong winds and high tides. This has created serious safety risks with steep escarpments with exposed structures which are suspectable to movement and falling to the sand below (eg. fencing, concrete, boulders etc). Even in areas where there are no structures, erosion has created steep escarpment with heights of up to 6m, which are unstable and subject to collapse. Soldiers Beach Access is currently blocked to Soldiers Beach in front of the surf club, and the access stairs and emergency ramp are also closed for use due to damage from recent the weather and surf conditions that have significantly undermined the structure. Do not walk on or near eroded beach escarpments - this is both dangerous and could cause serious injury for anyone in the vicinity, whether below or on top of the erosion scarp. It can also provide further risk to properties in the immediate area.
Debris Clean up - Council crews continue to collect and remove debris from beaches, with a particular focus on Avoca, Copacabana, Umina and Ocean Beach. Significant debris continuing to wash up at Patonga Beach from the Hawkesbury River, following flood events in March and ongoing heavy rainfall.
- The standard advice following a storm event is to avoid swimming in our ocean beaches for at least 24 hours and for three days at our estuarine locations.
- For more information and to see daily pollution forecasts go to the Beachwatch website.
- For daily pollution forecasts and conditions for Central Coast Beaches go to the Beachwatch website
- To see the open/close status of Central Coast beaches go to Council's beach status web page.
Roads
Current heavy rainfall may result in flash flooding and or debris over roads.
Since the severe weather event impacted the Coast in early March, Council crews have repaired over 16,000 Potholes. There has been landslips across 22 locations with 2 sites on Wisemans Ferry Road compromising traffic. These sites are:
• Settlers Road, Wisemans Ferry
• Wisemans Ferry Road, Gunderman
Access to local residents has been reinstated but closed to general public.
- Council road closures are listed on our website.
- Further road closure information, including non-Council roads can be found at Live Traffic.
- Never drive through floodwaters and keep clear of creeks and storm drains.
Falling tree alert
Following a period of heavy rain, a tree's root system can be compromised as the soil becomes saturated. Be on alert for high wind predictions and subsequent tree falls.
- For emergency help regarding trees down on private property call the NSW SES on 132 500 or visit their website www.ses.nsw.gov.au for information on how to plan and prepare for storm or flooding emergencies.
- For fallen powerlines or trees on powerlines please call AUSGRID on 13 13 88. Please do not go anywhere near fallen trees as they are often tangled with powerlines and can be extremely dangerous.
- Fallen trees over roads can be reported to Council.
Water and Sewer
- If anyone experiences a sewer system disruption, please call Council immediately on 1300 463 954.
- For all current water service interruptions please go to the Water outages page of our website.
- For all current dam water levels please go to the Love Water website.
Waste services and clean up
- Council's waste management facilities are open and weekly kerbside collections are continuing as normal with minor delays to bulk kerbside collection due to high demand and severe weather impacts. Additional waste collection resources have been allocated to assist emergency services at Spencer, Gunderman and surrounding communities.
- Since early March, 1,700 tonnes of flood and storm clean-up waste has been collected by Council and the community and delivered to Council's waste management facilities.
- Waste disposal - Larger volumes of bulky household waste can be booked as a bulk kerbside collection through 1Coast (as part of your annual bulk kerbside collection services). Seagrass and smaller items of vegetation debris from lake and river flooding should be placed into green waste bins. Be careful not to overfill or compact your bin as they have an 80kg weight limit. Larger volumes of vegetation can be booked as a bulk kerbside collection through 1Coast (as part of your annual bulk kerbside collection services). Council cannot collect loose leaf seagrass through bulk kerbside, so please ensure larger quantities are contained (for example, in a cardboard box) for collection. Waste facilities charges are reduced for flood affected waste. For sandbag disposal, if possible, split the bags to remove sand and place in your garden where it won't wash away. Place empty bags in the red lid garbage bin.
Community Support
- For Disaster Relief and Support information, go to NSW Government's website
Health and safety
- For information on maintaining health during and after floods and storms, go to NSW Health's website or call 1800 health direct or 1800 022 222
