Central Coast Council is supporting emergency services and assessing the initial impact of the recent severe weather event on the Coast’s roads, water and sewer services and waterways.

Council Acting Chief Executive Officer, Rik Hart said safety of road users and the community remains a priority, with crews on the ground surveying damage and responding to multiple incidents across the region.

“As a result of the recent heavy rainfall and flooding across the Coast, many road surfaces have deteriorated due to water penetrating and weakening the underlying pavement. Under the stress of traffic, this can cause potholes and other damage,” Mr Hart said.

“Throughout the severe weather event, Council’s road crews have attended over 450 callouts, affecting more than 110 roads across the Coast, with multiple road closures still in place.

“Council road crews are working hard to remove trees, fix potholes, repair other damage and re-open roads – with 537 potholes repaired in the past 24 hours alone.

“Crews are working hard and will be mobilised for the weekend with support from contractors to respond to the significant damage to our road network - we ask for the community’s patience as we prioritise responses.

“Please drive carefully and respect road safety signs and barriers. If you see an issue while out on our roads, you can report them to Council on 1300 463 954.”

With sun shining on the Coast, Council would like to remind residents to avoid swimming and other recreational activities at the beaches and waterways – especially floodwaters.

Extended heavy rainfall increases the risk of waterways being impacted by pollution due to stormwater run-off and contact should be avoided for at least 24 hours after heavy rainfall or when lagoons are open or for as long as stormwater is present.

“Council works in partnership with other government departments to regularly monitor and report on water quality and I highly encourage residents to check the potential pollution status of their local beach on the Beachwatch website before taking a dip," Mr Hart added.

“If out boating on our waterways, look out for floating debris - flood waters have hidden hazards.”

Council is supporting flood-affected residents with the responsible disposal of waste.

“Weekly kerbside bin collection services are continuing as scheduled and in cases where roads are closed or inaccessible, trucks will return when safe to do so. Please leave your bins out on the kerb as trucks will operate outside of normal hours if needed,” Mr Hart said.

“Residents can book a standard bulk kerbside collection service for both excess garden waste, or non-putrescible bulk waste such as flood-affected furniture or fittings. Households are entitled to up to six general or green waste bulk kerbside collections a year, which reset annually on 1 February. For more information head to the 1coast website.

“We understand that many flood-affected properties will have been impacted by debris and excess waste from flood waters and Council is supporting residents with collection of any floating debris or sea grass that has been generated due to the flood."

For Seagrass and vegetation debris from flood waters residents can:

• Place small volumes of seagrass and vegetation debris into your green waste bins.
• Take it directly to Council’s waste management facilities – reduced fees apply.
• If there is too much to place in the green waste bin or transport, please stockpile and place seagrass and vegetation debris in a safe location next to access roads or pathways within foreshore reserves, or the road kerbside outside of your property. Once placed on the kerbside, call Council on 1300 463 954 for a ‘Tuggerah Lakes Seagrass Clean-up’ booking and we will be able to assist.

With a declaration of natural disaster for the Central Coast, support services are available for impacted residents to aid recovery.

“Council continues to collaborate with all local and regional emergency services to provide additional support for our community,” Mr Hart said.

“An evacuation reception centre has been set up by the Department of Communities and Justice (Disaster Welfare) at Diggers @ The Entrance (315 The Entrance Road) and is open at all times to support residents impacted by flooding.

“Residents impacted by the natural disaster can contact Disaster Welfare Assistance on 1800 018 444.”

Community members can report a Council issue at any time, day or night. Log concerns online by clicking the 'Report an Issue' icon at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au. For water and sewer emergencies please call 1300 463 954.

For updates on the severe weather event impacting the Central Coast, and support available to the community visit centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/news.