Australia's Sydney braces for floods amid massive rainfall
July 3, 2022
Australia's biggest city Sydney issued evacuation orders following on Sunday amid heavy rainfall in the region and concerns it could cause severe flooding.
More than 200 millimeters (roughly 8 inches) of rain have fallen over many areas with some hit by as much as 350 millimeters, the Bureau of Meteorology said, warning of flood risks along the Nepean River.
Some suburbs have already reported floods of 1.5 meters (4.9 feet).
Rainfall is expected to intensify over the coming two days.
The weather bureau warned of potential flash floods and landslides caused by the heavy rains.
"We are now facing dangers on multiple fronts — flash flooding, riverine flooding and coastal erosion," New South Wales Minister for Emergency Services and Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said in a televised media briefing.
"This is a life-threatening emergency situation," she added.
Media reports say the Sydney area has already received four times the usual rainfall for the entire month. as it usually does during the entire month of July.
'No room for the water to remain in the dams'
Authorities have ordered thousands of residents to evacuate and move to safer areas.
Local councils have opened evacuation centers.
The heavy rains caused Sydney's main dam to spill overnight, water authorities said, adding that modeling showed the spill would be comparable to a major spill in March 2021 at the Warragamba Dam.
"There's no room for the water to remain in the dams. They are starting to spill. The rivers are flowing very fast and very dangerous. And then we have the risk of flash flooding, depending on where the rains are," State Emergency Service (SES) Commissioner Carlene York said.
Emergency services said they conducted over 100 flood rescues and responded to over 3,000 requests for assistance in the past 24 hours.
The body of a man who fell out of a kayak was pulled out of Sydney Harbor, police said, adding that the circumstances were under investigation but appeared to be linked to the windy conditions.
Severe flooding in western Sydney in March claimed 20 lives.
Australia is suffering drastic effects from climate change with droughts, bushfires and floods all becoming much more common and intense in recent years.
tj, sri/msh (Reuters, dpa, AFP)