Sydney floods aftermath: 'Everybody is traumatised'

In the town of Windsor, north-west of Sydney, some roads have turned into small rivers. And the only way to get around is by boat.

Mathew Benson has been rowing up and down one of the streets in a neighbourhood in the suburb of Australia's largest city.

"I'm bringing food and water to people over there," he tells me, pointing to the other side. "We're just watching and waiting."

While some cars are barely visible, others are completely submerged. Many residents in the area have had to leave their homes and others are stranded as roads have been cut off. Thousands have been left without power.

Another local, Sam, points to her house just across the submerged road. "We don't know about the second floor. But the first floor is definitely flooded," she tells me in tears.

This is the second time this has happened to her this year. Her house was damaged in the floods back in March. This time, she has had to move in with her mother who now also has to evacuate.

It's all been too exhausting and emotional and she breaks down.

"We just got back on our feet. We'd just cleaned up our house and fixed it up. And now this…" she said.

Windsor is a close-knit community.

Most of those I have spoken to have grown up in the area or have been here for at least two decades. Despite the fact that this is their third extreme flooding event in 18 months, many told me they wouldn't want to move.

But you can sense that everyone is exhausted. Not just from dealing with the current crisis, but from having to deal with one disastrous weather event after another.