Key Takeaways:
- After severe rains caused rivers to overflow and floodwaters to rise, authorities in Sydney’s suburbs issued evacuation orders for thousands of residents, describing the conditions as life-threatening.
On Sunday, authorities in Sydney’s suburbs issued evacuation orders for thousands of residents after torrential rains prompted rivers to overflow and floodwaters to rise, creating what they described as life-threatening situations.
Along the coast of the most populous city in Australia and adjacent areas of the state of New South Wales, the Bureau of Meteorology released a severe weather warning for heavy rain, flash floods, and gusts of up to 90 kilometers (55 miles) per hour.
According to authorities, the Warragamba Dam in western Sydney started to overflow overnight, and the peak spill would equal the disastrous flooding in March of last year.
Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke stated people don’t need to wait to be instructed to leave even if residents of several suburbs have been urged to evacuate.
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“Don’t necessarily wait for an evacuation order,” she advised, “if there is an option for you to leave earlier and you are feeling uneasy or uncertain about your situation. “Do not presume you will be secure tonight just because you were safe in 2021. Since the environment continually changes, we might observe effects in places we haven’t seen before.”
Over 100 flood rescues were carried out, according to emergency services, and more than 3,000 relief calls were handled in the previous 24 hours. Several locations in western Sydney now have evacuation centers open.
About 100 members of the Australian Defense Force assisted by erecting sandbags and delivering flood warnings by knocking on doors.
According to Jane Golding, manager of risks preparedness and response for the meteorological bureau, a coastal trough that had been present since Friday intensified when an east coast low-pressure system developed off the Mid-North Coast.
Over the past 24 hours, “it has caused some exceptional rainfall rates… many spots have received up to 200 mm and some close to 300 mm.” The amount of rainfall is approximately half what Sydney receives annually.
Since some roads are already underwater and others could experience rapid flash floods, people were advised to avoid unnecessary travel, including public transportation.
Source: CTV News
