Sydney YMCA closed by flooding

The YMCA in Sydney is out of commission after major flooding, caused by 60 millimetres of rain in just a couple of hours on Monday morning.

CEO Andre Gallant said water backed up through a concealed pipe, damaging the ceiling and walls and knocking out power.

He said it will be at least Thursday before parts of the building can re-open, which will cause significant inconvenience to thousands of members, including those relying on the Y for child care.

"Right now we're running day camps so we have another 50 kids here full time during the day, so it's definitely having an impact on those families who count on us for child care and summer programming fun," said Gallant.

"So it's a hardship on those families on short notice to be told, 'Come and pick up your child right now and by the way we don't know when they can come back.'"

Gallant said that staff members are anxious to get the building operational as soon as possible.

"We really feel for those families; that's why we're anxious to get those parts back up right away," he said.

The Y underwent a multi-million dollar renovation a couple of years ago.

Galllant said that while he doesn't have an exact estimate yet, the flood damage will cost the organization many thousands of dollars in repairs and lost revenue.