Emergency crews carried out 100 rescues overnight of people trapped in cars on flooded roads or in flooded homes in the Sydney region, State Emergency Management director Ashley Sullivan said. Days of torrential rain caused dams to overflow and waterways to burst their banks, bringing a fourth flood emergency in 16 months to parts of the city of 5 million. The New South Wales state government declared a disaster in 23 local government areas overnight, triggering federal government financial assistance for flood victims. Evacuation orders and warnings to prepare to leave homes affected 50,000 people, up from 32,000 on Monday, New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said. “This event is far from over. Please don’t be complacent, wherever you are. Be careful when driving on our roads. There is still a significant risk of flash flooding across our state,” Perrottet said. Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke credited the ability and commitment of rescue crews to prevent any death or serious injury by the fourth day of the flood emergency. Parts of southern Sydney had been hit by more than 20cm (almost 8in) of rain in 24 hours, more than 17% of the city’s annual average, Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Jonathan Howe said. Severe weather warnings for heavy rainfall remained in place in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on Tuesday. Warnings were also extended north of Sydney along the coast and into the Hunter Valley. The worst flooding occurred along the Hawkesbury-Nepean river system along Sydney’s northern and western fringes. “The good news is that by tomorrow afternoon, it looks to be mostly dry, but, of course, we’re reminding people that these flood waters will remain very high after the rain stops,” How said. “There’s been plenty of rain overnight and that’s actually seeing some rivers crest for the second time. So you have to take several days, if not a week, to start seeing those flood waters start to recede,” How added. Wild weather and rough seas along the New South Wales coast have scuppered plans to tow a stricken cargo ship with 21 crew members to the safety of the open sea. The ship lost power after leaving port in Wollongong, south of Sydney, on Monday morning and was at risk of grounding in 8-metre waves and 30-knot (34 mph) winds on cliffs. An attempt to tow the ship by tugboats in the open ocean ended when a tugboat broke in an 11-meter swell late Monday, Port Authority chief executive Philip Holliday said. The ship was maintaining its position Tuesday further from shore than it was Monday with two anchors and the assistance of two tugs. The new plan was to tow the ship to Sydney when weather and sea conditions calmed as early as Wednesday, Holliday said. The original plan was for the ship’s crew to repair its engine at sea. “We’re in a better position than we were yesterday,” Holliday said. “We are relatively safe.” Perrottet described the response of the tugboat crews on Monday to save the ship as “heroic”. “I want to thank those men and women who were on those crews last night for the heroic work they did in incredibly treacherous conditions. To have an 11-meter (36-foot) swell, to do and perform this job is incredibly impressive,” Perrottet said.
