Flood evacuation orders for all Central Coast areas have now been removed and all flooding is back below minor flood levels. This means impacted residents can turn their sights toward the recovery and clean-up effort. Residents are being urged however, to return to their homes with caution.

Council is leading the recovery efforts and working closely alongside Resilience NSW to support the community through this clean-up, while continuing its work alongside the NSW State Emergency Service (NSW SES) and other emergency agencies to support those still isolated or evacuated.

For ongoing updates on recovery efforts and support available, head to Council’s dedicated webpage: centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/council/news/significant-weather-event-update-july-2022.

Recovery Hubs and community support

• Resilience NSW recovery team with Central Coast Council, Service NSW, Services Australia and a range of other support teams will be at rapid assistance points (recovery hubs), offering recovery assistance, providing access to information and services for flood-affected Central Coast residents.
• Two Recovery Hubs are now open at The Entrance and Spencer.
• The Entrance Hub - The Entrance Community Centre, Battley Ave, The Entrance and open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm and Saturday to Sunday 10am-2pm.
• Spencer Hub - Spencer Community Hall, 4776 Wisemans Ferry Road, Spencer and open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm and Saturday to Sunday 10am-2pm.
• The Pop-Up Recovery Hub at Mardi has now been closed.

• Mobile laundry and shower service - The Entrance Neighborhood Centre has a mobile laundry and shower service available on Friday's between 9am-2pm  for residents that need it or have no power. Located on Corner of Battley Avenue and Oakland Avenue, The Entrance.

Financial aid

• The Central Coast local government area (LGA) is included in the NSW Government’s Natural Disaster Declaration announced on Tuesday 5 July 2022, meaning people in our community who have been affected by this severe weather and flooding event can access a range of special assistance measures.

• Assistance is available for individuals, small businesses, not-for-profit organisations, sporting clubs and more. For more information, head to the NSW Government’s website gov.au/disaster-recovery/natural-disaster-declarations.

• From 2pm on Thursday 6 July, people on the Central Coast affected by severe storms and flooding are eligible to access disaster assistance through the Australian Government. The one-off Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment of $1,000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child is available to those who have suffered a significant loss because of the floods, including severe damage to a home, or serious injury.

• For disaster payments, grants and financial assistance for people living in areas affected by severe storms and floods, contact Service NSW on 13 77 88 or head to one of the two recovery hubs set up by Central Coast Council and Resilience NSW.

Waste services: Clean-up of flood affected household waste, rubbish and sea wrack

• Households which have been inundated by flood waters will receive a dedicated flood waste bulk collection service over the following weeks (this collection will not require a booking).
• Council and its contractors are conducting letterbox drops to flood inundated properties from Tuesday 12 July 2022. People whose properties were inundated with floodwater should keep an eye out for this information in their letterbox as this will detail the collection days for flood affected waste in your area. For more information, head to Council’s dedicated flood event and recovery page here: https://www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/council/news/significant-weather-event-update-july-2022
• Council’s waste facilities are open to receive self-hauled waste from residents and businesses. Reduced fees of $210.24 per tonne (down from standard rate of $377 per tonne) apply for flood impacted mixed waste.

Seagrass (wrack) and vegetation:

• Homes which experienced seagrass (wrack) and vegetation debris from lake and river flooding can prepare this debris in piles on their kerbside for Council to collect.
• Smaller volumes of uncontaminated seagrass and vegetation debris from lake and river flooding can also be placed into green waste bins.
• Larger volumes can also be bagged or boxed and placed on the kerbside as part of a bulk green waste collection (these collections should be booked through 1Coast.com.au.com.au to enable collection by a dedicated truck and the composting of these organics as opposed to landfill).

Sandbag disposal:

• For sandbag disposal, split the hessian bags to remove sand and place in your garden somewhere it won’t wash away, if possible. Then place empty bags in the red lid garbage bin.

Weekly and bulk kerbside waste collection:

• Council’s regular waste collection services continue as normal including bulk kerbside collections, public litter bins and household bins.

• Woy Woy and Buttonderry Waste Management Facilities remain operational and are open as per normal opening hours.

Spencer and Gunderman

• The ferry at Wisemans Ferry is currently not operating. Wisemans Ferry Road is open to Spencer. It is anticipated that further road openings will occur in these areas as waters continue to recede. Impacts from any landslide/rockslides or trees down are being assessed and may result in longer closures however our priority will be making the sites safe for travel to resume for our community.
• As in prior recent floods, Council will conduct a ‘sweep’ of waste collections in this region and will work alongside the emergency services and provide door to door notification of the coordinated response as soon as we can safely do so.
• As with other areas of inundation, residents will not be required to book in collections for flooded properties if they are in an area that was inundated with flood waters.

Roads

Since Friday 1 July 2022 when the severe weather event began to occur, Council has closed roads at 210 locations using approximately 1,100 signs and barrier boards. Most roads have now reopened, apart from a few that have debris and still require clearing.

Potholes

• Council staff have undertaken approximately 2,673 pothole repairs in over 400 different locations/streets across the Central Coast. Water entering and weakening the underlying road pavement and the added stress of traffic is the main cause of potholes, which is why we see more potholes after periods of heavy rain.

• Take extra caution, drive with ample room behind the car in front (avoid tailgating) and please continue to report potholes to Council via Council’s 24/7 online Customer Service Centre.
• For information about road closures search ‘road closures’ at Council's website: centralcoast.nsw.gov.au and follow Council’s Facebook page for regular updates. For road and traffic updates visit Live Traffic NSW livetraffic.com. Please note Live Traffic is linking to Council’s road closure information.

High sea and dangerous surf conditions

• Hazardous surf conditions are being experienced along the NSW coast later on Monday 11 July or on Tuesday 12 July 2022, along with expected high tides predicted for Thursday and Friday this week. Areas that have experienced coastal erosion in previous severe weather events may experience low-lying water due to forecast high tides (2.2m for Thursday 14 July - approx. 9pm).
• Council staff are still assessing beaches after large and powerful swell conditions (4.3m SSE) overnight on Sunday 10 July. This was joined by a high tide of 1.8m which caused large amounts of sea foam to spread over beaches.
• Lagoons remain open but given the high tides and large swells, there was significant wave run-up at a number of areas causing over-topping and localised flooding.
• Council staff continued to inspect and clean up flood debris over the weekend and expect to continue to do so for some weeks.

Beaches, coastal erosion and flood debris

• Moderate erosion has been reported at North Entrance, Lakes Beach, Killcare and MacMasters Beach.
• Staff worked on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 July 2022, inspecting and collecting flood debris that continue to wash up on beaches, with the majority being at Patonga, Umina and Ocean Beach Beaches.
• Large volumes of seafoam are washing up on beaches, and dangerous oceans conditions are current.
• People are asked to stay away from these areas and eroded beach escarpments. This is both dangerous and could cause serious injury for anyone in the vicinity, and may provide further risk to properties in the immediate area.
• Given the river flooding, expect flood debris on beaches for coming weeks.
• Plans are being developed for Council staff and Clean4Shore to assist in the clean-up.

Health and safety during clean up

Avoid unnecessary risks during clean up:

• Do not enter a damaged building or structure, unless deemed safe to do so by authorities.
• Take great care around electricity – follow the SES Electricity Safety Tips
• Be alert to snakes, spiders, rats and other wildlife that may have taken refuge in or near your home.
• If removing or moving waste, remember to practise basic hygiene. Use appropriate personal protective equipment, including dust mask, gloves, covered shoes or boots and full-length clothing to cover your arms and legs.
• All cuts and abrasions should be cleaned, treated with antiseptic and covered immediately. If you have a deep cut or wound, if a wound has had contact with floodwaters or if a wound develops redness, swelling or discharge, seek immediate medical attention.
• Avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. Use an insect repellent on exposed skin areas and reapply every couple of hours. Cover up as much as possible with loose-fitting and light-coloured clothing. Should you or any of your family have severe diarrhoea or vomiting, please seek immediate medical assistance. If you have these symptoms, you’ll need extra fluids to replace what you lose. The best fluids to take are those that contain a mixture of special salts (electrolytes) and sugars, (e.g., Gastrolyte) which can be purchased from local pharmacies.
• Floodwaters and leftover debris may be contaminated with sewage. To prevent illness, contact with floodwater should be minimised. Avoid swimming in rivers, lagoons and estuaries for at least three days after heavy rain.

For further information on maintaining health after floods and storms, go to NSW Health’s website or call 1800 health direct or 1800 022 222.

Keep up to date with current flood and storm recovery information on Council’s dedicated significant weather event update page: centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/council/news/significant-weather-event-update-july-2022

ENDS