Across the state, 40,000 people have been affected by evacuation orders, though around 18,000 people have been evacuated from their homes (3,000 of those in Western Sydney and about 15,000 in the Mid North Coast), with many evacuation centres set up to accommodate the displaced residents, in addition to over 130 school closures and road closures, which were cut off by water. Since 20 March, after the torrential rain began, around 450 gigalitres of water a day had been released from the Warragamba Dam, equal to the contents of Sydney Harbour, which is around 500 gigalitres.[1]