Hawkesbury, The Hills and Blacktown have been declared states of natural disaster by Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt overnight (Monday).

It is the second time this year a state of natural disaster has been declared, with many towns and suburbs in the north-west currently under evacuation orders, with others under minor to major flood warnings.

These communities will now be eligible for the government’s disaster relief payment funding to provide quick financial support to those affected by #NSWFloods.

“We have seen some of these impacted communities being hit by floods for a third and fourth time in 18 months, which is extremely distressing to the residents of these communities,” Senator Watt said.

As at 9.43am today (Tuesday) the height of the Hawkesbury River at North Richmond and Windsor bridges was at 13.92m and steady. For updates on river heights go to reg.bom.gov.au

There are multiple road closures in Hawkesbury, The Hills and Blacktown City this morning. For the latest on these go to: https://www.livetraffic.com/ or see: disaster.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au or twitter.com/TheHillsCouncil or  blacktown.nsw.gov.au/Home .

Evacuation Centres are open at:

• Castle Hill RSL Club – 77 Castle Street, Castle Hill
• North Richmond Community Centre – 33 William Street, North Richmond
• Richmond Club – 6 East Market Street, Richmond
• Castle Hill Showground – Showground Road, Castle Hill, animals only. Contact the Agricultural and Animal Services (AAS Functional Area) Hotline on 1800 814 647 for livestock assistance.

For evacuation centre details see: ses.nsw.gov.au/news/all-news/2022/evacuation-centres

For the latest emergency news for your area listen to ABC radio or check out:

• https://www.facebook.com/seshawkesbury
• https://www.facebook.com/TheHillsSES
• https://www.facebook.com/NSWSESBlacktownUnit

The latest weather and warnings are at bom.gov.au/nsw/
For the latest Rainfall and River heights visit  bom.gov.au/nsw/flood/greatersydney.shtml

For assistance:
For emergency help in floods and storms, call the NSW State Emergency Service on 132 500.
In life threatening situations call triple zero (000) immediately.

Main image: Major flood area warnings. Bureau of Meteorology, Australia, @BOM_au