As it happened:PM and NSW premier set to visit flood regions,85,000 people under evacuation orders and warnings

The world’s largest SAR satellite constellation organisation has captured satellite images of the Hunter before and after it flooded.

ICEYE,a Finnish microsatellite manufacturer,combines the data from its space borne sensors with multiple auxiliary information sources on the ground to produce a precise representation of a flood’s extent and depth anywhere in the world.

Here,you can see the Hunter River before the flood on July 3 compared with today.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a minor flood warning for the Manning River that will impact Wingham and Taree.

From Wednesday,Wingham is expected to begin to flood and may extend downstream to Taree by Thursday morning.

The Manning River at Wingham is likely to exceed the minor flood level,4.9 metres,from Wednesday evening.

The river level may reach around 5.10 metres early Thursday morning. Further rises are possible with forecast rainfall.

The Manning River at Taree may reach the minor flood level,1.8 m,by Thursday morning.

You can check the latest flood warnings on theSES website.

The Hunter River is expected to reach 13.8 metres at Singleton this evening,just one metre from overflowing.

Singleton’s storm water drains are already full,prompting the SES to issue an evacuation order earlier today. Hundreds have fled the town,with many others cut off.

In March,the Hunter River reached 13.15 metres and although the heaviest rainfall has cleared the Hunter catchment,further river level rises may prolong flooding.

Nearby,major flooding is occurring along the Wollombi Brook. The brook peaked at 14.2 metres in the early hours of Wednesday near Wollombi and is falling slowly. As it stands,it’s at 12.48.

In Bulga,the Brook is at 9.1 metres,close to its peak.

In Maitland,the river peaked at Belmore Bridge at 7.09 metres on Monday,but could reach 10 metres on Thursday if further rainfall arrives as predicted.

Let’s take a look at the latest roads closed due to flooding.

The New England Highway remains closed atSingleton andMaitland. The highway is also closed to light vehicles between White Avenue and Pitt Street while heavy vehicles are being stopped at Whittingham and Muswellbrook.

The highway is also closed at Maitland’s High Street roundabout. Light vehicles are being diverted through the town while heavy vehicles can use the Hunter Expressway.

Sydney closures:

In the Hunter:

On the Central Coast

In the Illawarra,South Coast and Southern Highlands:

There are nownine evacuation centres assisting people who have been advised to leave their homes across the state.

They are as follows:

An initial flood warning has been issued for the Myall River,with minor flooding possible atBulahdelahthis evening.

Heavy rainfall has led the Bureau of Meteorology to predict the river might reach the minor flood level of three metres.

A severe weather warning for heavy rainfall is current for the Mid North Coast and parts of the Northern Tablelands Forecast District.

The current warnings are available at theBOM andSES websites.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s chief commissioner Angus Mitchell has announced an investigation into the Portland Bay’s loss of power on Monday.

The bulk carrier was stranded for two days and required a multi-agency rescue effort before eventually docking in Port Botany this afternoon.

The bureau will investigate the source of the power loss,the weather forecast,and the initial response of the 21 crew members on board at the time.

“Should a critical safety issue be identified at any time during the investigation,the ATSB will immediately notify operators and regulators so appropriate and timely safety action can be taken,” Mitchell said.

A final report will be published after the investigation.

Hundreds of shoppers at Zetland’s East Village have been evacuated after a power outage plunged the shopping complex into darkness.

At least three people are stuck in one of the complex’s lifts as a result of the outage. Members of NSW Fire and Rescue are on the scene.

According to Ausgrid,multiple outages are affecting parts of Zetland,Alexandria,Beaconsfield,Kensington,Waterloo and Mascot and may not be fixed until 6pm.

The cause for the outage is not yet known.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a flood warning forTuggerah Lake.

Long Jetty is steadying near a major flood peak of 1.64 metres.

You can find the latest flood warnings by conferring with theSES website.