Austrelia's massive storm

Just some of the very detailed coverage from Britain's Daily Mail.I apologise for the wonky formatting.

Residents of Sydney suburb warned to be ready to evacuate as a major DAM threatens to overflow... as deadly storm emergency enters its THIRD day, with more driving rain and lashing winds

• Wind gusts of up to 130km/h have lashed parts of NSW as storms continue to hit large parts of the state
• State Emergency Service warn that hundreds of residents may have to evacuate their premises near Manly Dam
• What concerns authorities the most is that the dam might overflow causing widespread damage
• By opening the dam, the SES said it will be able to control flooding, however it will still affect many homes
• Three elderly people have been found dead within the Dungog township on Tuesday morning, police said
• One of the victims died while trying to save her dog, but was swept away by flash flooding
• Dungog was smashed by 312mm of rain in 24 hours - the heaviest rainfall the area has seen in 100 years - and four houses in the town have been washed away in severe floods
• Properties have suffered damage from Sydney to the mid-north coast and 215,000 homes are without power
• More than 100 schools have been closed on Tuesday due to the adverse weather conditions
• A cruise ship is stuck outside Sydney Heads because of a massive swell and it may be there for the next 48 hours
• Passengers have been warned to expect delays for flights in and out of Sydney's domestic airport
• A Public Information and Inquiry Centre about the weather conditions has been set up - phone number 1800 227 228
• In a life-threatening emergency people should call triple-zero, otherwise the SES number is 132 500

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3048777/Sydney-residents-warned-prepared-evacuations-major-DAM-threatens-overflow-deadly-storm-emergency-east-coast-enters-day.html

Hundreds of Sydney residents have been warned they may have to evacuate their homes as the massive storm lashing Australia's east coast threatens to overwhelm one of the city's main dams.

The dramatic development comes as it was revealed that one of three elderly people who have died in the deluge - entering it's third straight day on Wednesday - perished as she tried to save her dog from flood waters.

Authorities said they may be forced to open the sluice gates of the Manly Dam near the famous beachside suburb of the same name to release pressure from rapidly rising water levels - and that the overflow would likely cause flooding in neighbourhoods downstream.

SES issued an alert advising that volunteers and local police were out telling residents in the Manly Dam area to pack essential items and prepare to leave their premises. 

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Some people ignored warnings from authorities to stay out of the water as wild storms lashed the eastern coast of Australia around Sydney, such as these two teenagers who took on the surf at swimming baths at Bronte Beach in Sydney

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State Emergency Service warn that hundreds of residents may have to evacuate their premises near Manly Dam (pictured)

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Lightning flashes in the night sky as Sydney prepares for another night of severe weather

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Huge waves crash over swimming baths at Avalon Beach in Sydney as the storm rages on

Emergency crews work in the pouring rain to try and restore power to Avalon Beach in Sydney on Tuesday night

By opening the dam, the SES says it will be able to control flooding, however it will still affect many homes.

Manly is a beach-side suburb of northern Sydney, and is 17 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district. The Manly Dam catchment includes 375ha of bushland plus housing, businesses and sportsfields.

SES were continually monitoring the situation. NSW police advised residents who live near the Manly Dam to expect flooding in low lying areas near the Dam will occur in the next couple of hours.

‘Residents who live in low lying areas near the Dam need to remain vigilant and give consideration to relocating prior to any flooding occurring,’ police statement said.

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A teenage boy skims on a puddle as a big swell hits off Manly Beach in Sydney on Tuesday

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Boys try to take cover as heavy winds blow sand onto Bondi Beach promenade during Tuesday's heavy storms

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Born to be wild: A surfer makes the most of the conditions while surfing in a big swell off Manly Beach during the storms

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A scooter sits covered in sand and sea spray in the car park next to the Bondi Beach promenade

A chart from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology shows the forecast for wind speed across New South Wales on Tuesday night

If evacuation is required, residents will receive an emergency alert on their home phone or mobile. Residents were also told to move furniture and important items to higher sections of their property, and take pets, clothes and medication with them.

Earlier NSW Police said three elderly people, two men and a woman, were found dead following the fierce storm on Tuesday morning.

One of them, a woman from Dungog in the Hunter Valley, is believed to have been swept away by flash flooding as she tried to rescue her stranded pet, the Dungog Chronicle reports.

Sally Fitzpatrick, who is a former neighbour of the dead woman in Dungog, said the town was ‘very quiet’ and ‘in shock’.

‘I heard [the dead woman] didn’t want to abandon her dog and she was washed away but the dog survived,’ Ms Fitzpatrick told the Dungog Chronicle.

Sydney's famous Bondi Beach was almost deserted, as wild winds blew tons of sand off the beach and onto the promenade, covering it completely

It was an eerie scene at Bondi, as the normally bustling promenade emptied of people and was covered in sand

Locals were afraid more wild weather was set to hit the town, with many houses and business flooded, and rural properties isolated due to water over roads and a bridge collapse.

'It's getting dark and there's still no power,' Ms Fitzpatrick said. 'Right now there's a black cloud approaching from the south.... thick and dark to the ground, very scary looking.'

Earlier on Tuesday police confirmed that three elderly people were found dead in the Hunter region of New South Wales as the state continues to be hit by 'cyclonic' weather conditions.

NSW Police said a woman and two men were located deceased within the Dungog township, north of Newcastle, on Tuesday morning after a high number of emergency calls were made by people affected by dangerous weather conditions in the area.

Dungog was smashed by 312mm of rain in 24 hours - the heaviest rainfall the area has seen in 100 years - and four houses in the town have been washed away in severe floods.

   

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At Belmont, north of Sydney, the wild weather caused boats to break their moorings and sent some of the crashing into waterfront properties

Cars were stranded as drivers ignored warnings and took on floodwaters that covered roads, such as here at Raymond Terrace in the north of NSW. Emergency services received thousands of calls from people need assistance

Shocking video shows a house being washed away in Dungog in the upper Hunter region, which has been smashed by 312mm of rain in 24 hours - the heaviest rainfall in 100 years

NSW Police said a woman and two men were located deceased within the Dungog township on Tuesday morning after a high number of emergency calls were made by people affected by dangerous weather conditions in the area

Authorities have urged residents in Dungog and surrounding areas to go and stay with family or friends, or make other accommodation arrangements where possible.

Police have advised evacuating residents to take important documents, mementos, photos, medicines, spare clothing and personal hygiene supplies. An evacuation centre has been set up at the Dungog High School on Eloiza Street.

NSW Premier Mike Baird has urged people across NSW to get home from work as soon as possible on Tuesday afternoon, with weather conditions expected to get more severe between now and midnight.

'We are calling for bosses to be flexible, people to make arrangements in an orderly way to start to head home ASAP,' Mr Baird said.

'It is a huge storm event that is wreaking havoc across NSW at the moment.

'The most dangerous place later this afternoon will be on the roads so we encourage essential driving only.'  

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A chart from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology shows the forecast for rainfall across New South Wales on Tuesday night

A large eucalyptus tree crashes down near a house blocking the entrance at Avalon Beach in Sydney

A car is crushed by a roof that has blown away in severe winds in Blacksmiths in the New South Wales Hunter region

Another house was filmed floating away at Toronto, a lakeside suburb in the city of Lake Macquarie near Newcastle

Trains tracks have been damaged near Dungog. An evacuation centre is being set up for residents in Dungog High School at Eliza Street

A tree has fallen in Hamilton South, a suburb of Newcastle, ripping up a large part of the footpath and exposing a drain

A woman walks in the Sydney CBD with a broken umbrella and another umbrella is seen submerged in Hyde Park on Tuesday

In Avalon on Sydney's Northern Beaches fallen trees and telegraph poles blocked roads and caused significant damage to propertyThe Premier added that there were three hospitals in the Hunter region that had lost power and were operating on back-up generators.

Flood warnings have been issued for Newcastle, with residents told to expect rapid rises and high velocity flash flood water in local creeks, watercourses and urban areas over the next few hours.

'Do not enter floodwater. If you become trapped you should seek the highest point within the building and to telephone 000 if you require rescue,' the SES said in emergency texts to locals.

This comes after shocking footage captured a Dungog house being swept away by flood waters and floating dangerously close to power lines on the street.

Local Jade Marie said it was her aunt's house that was being washed away, according to Higgins Storm Chases.

She was helping her neighbours escape the flood waters and turned back to see the water rising around her house.

She raced back inside to evacuate her partner and children just moments before the house dislodge and started floating away.

The SES has been called to more than 4588 properties from Sydney to the mid-north coast since 7am Monday, with winds as powerful as a category two cyclone lashing some regions.

This comes emergency service have carried out more than 47 flood rescues and Ausgrid has warned that it could take several days before power is returned many of the 215,000 homes and businesses affected by outages in Sydney, the Central Coast and Hunter regions.

A major flood warning has been issued for the Paterson and Williams Rivers, north of Newcastle, with water at the Gostwyck Bridge peaked at a record 16.11m at 3pm on Tuesday. Dungog is expected to peak near nine metres at noon and Mill Dam Falls is forecast to peak near 11m around 3pm.

Moderate to minor flood warnings have also been issued for the Hunter River at Maitland, Raymond Terrace and Wollombi Brook, while the Colo River, the Tuggerah Lake, the Lake Macquarie area, the Myall River at Bulahdelah and the Cooks River at Tempe Bridge have been issued with minor flood warnings.

Authorities are urging motorists to stay out of the floodwater as there could be significant surface damage to roads that is not visible from the surface. Floodwater is also deeper and faster flowing than it appears.

Emergency Services Minister David Elliott described the weather system as a 'one-in-a-decade storm'.

The 500 SES volunteers were risking 'life and limb' to ensure that the people of NSW got through the storm.

'Today's events are going to test our emergency services,' Mr Elliott said.

It's not often you see a car parked up a tree, but this was the case in Newcastle during the storm 

In Narrabeen the storms caused a building to collapse and rain bricks down onto cars parked below 

The Carnival Spirit, with 2500 passengers on board, is stranded outside of Sydney Harbour because of the city's wild weather

FIVE DAY WEATHER FORECAST FOR SYDNEY, MELBOURNE AND BRISBANE

TUESDAY

• SYDNEY - Max 17 degrees, rain (possibly heavy) and very windy
• NSW CENTRAL COAST - Max 17 degrees, rain (possibly heavy) and very windy
• WOLLONGONG - Max 17 degrees, rain and very windy
• MELBOURNE - Max 17 degrees, possible shower
• BRISBANE - Max 23 degrees

WEDNESDAY

• SYDNEY - Min 14 to max 20 degrees, showers and windy
• NSW CENTRAL COAST - Min 12 to max 20 degrees, rain at times and windy
• WOLLONGONG -  Min 14 to max 19 degrees, showers
• MELBOURNE - Min 10 to max 18 degrees, possible shower
• BRISBANE - Min 13 to max 25 degrees, sunny 

THURSDAY

• SYDNEY - Min 16 to max 23 degrees, shower or two
• NSW CENTRAL COAST - Min 14 to max 22 degrees, possible shower
• WOLLONGONG - Min 16 to max 21 degrees, possible shower
• MELBOURNE - Min 12 to max 19 degrees, possible shower
• BRISBANE - Min 15 to max 27 degrees, sunny 
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'This line is moving only very slowly southwards and is producing very heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding in the warning area over the next several hours,' a spokesman said on Facebook.

Newcastle University and a number of public and Catholic schools in the Hunter region have been closed on Tuesday due to severe weather, the Department of Education said.

An elderly woman is fighting for her life after she was rescued with her husband from flood waters in the NSW Hunter region. The elderly couple had been reported missing near Stroud, about an hour north of Newcastle, on Tuesday morning.

‘My information is that the lady is in critical condition:' SES deputy commissioner Steven Pearce told Seven Network.

A fishing boat washed ashore on Terrigal Beach, north of Sydney. The devastated owner said his insurance ran out three days ago

Motorists and public transport passengers are still advised to avoid all non-essential travel in Sydney and the Illawarra due to the adverse weather conditions.

A number of ferry services have been cancelled and some train lines are closed due to flooding and fallen trees, NSW Transport said.

A cruise ship is stuck outside Sydney Heads because of a massive swell and it may be there for the next 48 hours.

A large gum tree that has been uprooted on a property at Booragul, a suburb near Lake Macquarie north of Sydney in NSW

Gale force winds have damaged boats and have broken boats from their moorings, smashing them and grounding them on to rocks