Thousands of residents in Sydney’s suburbs were ordered to evacuate their homes on Sunday after heavy rains sent floods rising and rivers overflowing in what authorities called a life-threatening emergency. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for heavy rain and flooding and winds of up to 90 kilometers (55 miles) per hour along the coast of Australia’s most populous city and other parts of New South Wales state. Authorities said the Warragamba Dam in western Sydney began to overflow overnight and the peak of the leak would be comparable to the devastating floods in March last year. Residents in several suburbs were told to evacuate, but Emergency Services Minister Steph Cook said people did not need to wait to be told to leave. “If you’re uncomfortable or unsure of your circumstances and there’s an opportunity to leave early, don’t necessarily wait for an evacuation order,” he said. “If you were safe in 2021, don’t assume you’ll be safe tonight. This is a rapidly evolving situation and we could see areas affected that we haven’t seen before.” Emergency services reported carrying out more than 100 flood rescues and responding to more than 3,000 requests for help in the past 24 hours. Evacuation centers have been opened in several areas in western Sydney. About 100 Australian Defense Force personnel helped by placing sandbags and knocking on doors to warn of flood threats. Met Office risk preparedness and response manager Jane Golding said a coastal trough lingering since Friday was deepening while an east coast low pressure system formed off the Mid North Coast. “This has produced some exceptional rainfall rates in the last 24 hours… many locations have seen up to 200mm and some close to 300mm,” he said. The amount of rainfall is almost half of Sydney’s annual average. People have been asked to avoid any non-essential travel, including public transport, as some roads are already underwater and others are at risk of flash flooding.
