Torrential rain since Friday has caused dams to overflow and waterways to burst their banks, bringing another flood emergency to the city of 5 million. “The latest information we have is that there is a very good chance the flooding will be worse than any of the other three floods these areas have had in the last 18 months,” Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. The current flooding may affect areas that managed to stay dry during previous floods, Watt added. New South Wales state Premier Dominic Perrottet said 32,000 people were affected by evacuation orders and warnings. “You would probably expect to see that number increase during the week,” Perrottet said. Emergency services had carried out 116 flood rescues in recent days, 83 of them since 9pm on Sunday, he said. Hundreds more requests for help came in on Monday. Australian Bureau of Meteorology director Jane Golding said some areas between Newcastle, north of Sydney, and Wollongong, south of Sydney, had received more than a meter (39 inches) of rain in the previous 24 hours. Some have received more than 1.5 meters (59 inches). These totals are close to the average annual rainfall for coastal New South Wales. “The system that created this weather is showing signs of moving away tomorrow, but throughout today, more rain is expected,” Golding said. Rain was forecast all along the New South Wales coast, including Sydney, throughout the week, he said. The Bureau of Meteorology says up to 12cm (4.7in) of rain could fall in Sydney on Monday. The risk of flooding was highest along the Hawkesbury River, northwest of Sydney, and the Nepean River, west of Sydney. “The water is flowing very fast,” Golding said. “It’s dangerous out on the rivers and we’ve still got some rain to fall, which means the risk of flash flooding isn’t over yet.” State Emergency Services Commissioner Karlen York said high winds toppled trees, damaged roofs and closed roads. He advises against traveling for no reason. Off the coast of New South Wales, a cargo ship with 21 crew members lost power after leaving port in Wollongong on Monday morning. It was moored close to shore and tugs were preparing to tow it to safer, open water. The ship has engineers who can repair the engine, port official John Finch told reporters. “Unfortunately, we happen to be in some horrible conditions right now,” he said, describing 8-meter swells and 30-knot (34 mph) winds. Repeated flooding has taken its toll on members of a riverside community southwest of Sydney, Camden Nepean River Borough Mayor Theresa Fedeli said. “It’s just devastating. They keep saying ‘catastrophic, not again,’” Fedelli said. “I just keep saying … ‘We’ve got to be strong, we’ll get through this.’ But you know deep down that it really hits home hard for a lot of people,” he added. Perrottet said the government and communities had to adapt to major floods becoming more frequent across Australia’s most populous state. “We’re seeing these floods more regularly, there’s no doubt about that,” Perrottet said. “To look at exactly what we’re seeing in Sydney, there’s no doubt these events are becoming more common. And governments need to adapt and make sure we respond to the changing environment we’re in,” he added.
