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Third major flood this year for some Sydney suburbs 30,000 New South Wales residents face evacuation The rescue of the ship’s crew is in progress, the army is helping the stranded families
SYDNEY, July 4 (Reuters) – New evacuation orders for tens of thousands of Sydney residents were issued on Monday after relentless rain caused flooding in some low-lying suburbs for the third time this year. An intense low pressure system off Australia’s east coast is forecast to bring heavy rain across New South Wales by Monday after many parts of the state were hit with about a month’s worth over the weekend. As of Sunday, about 30,000 residents in the state of New South Wales have either been told to evacuate or warned they may receive evacuation orders. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Frustration swelled in many suburbs west of Australia’s largest city after floods submerged homes, farms and bridges. “It’s just devastating. We’re in disbelief,” said Camden Mayor Teresa Fedelli. “Most of them are just coming out of the last flood, getting their homes back in place, their businesses back in place and unfortunately we’re saying it’s happening again.” More than 200mm of rain has fallen in many areas, with some receiving up to 350mm since Saturday. read more Some areas could approach or exceed flood levels seen in March 2021 and March and April this year, the weather office warned. The risk of major flooding remained although the severe weather system may weaken later on Monday, it said. An operation was underway to rescue 21 crew members from a cargo ship which lost power south of Sydney and was in danger of drifting ashore, local media reported. “It’s been a very difficult time for many months to put this flood event off the backs of others. It makes it more difficult,” NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said during a televised media briefing. Flood-hit Wisemans Ferry resident Paul O’Neill said he was ferrying food supplies to his stranded family after rising waters cut off access. “The road has collapsed and it hasn’t been repaired since the last floods, it hasn’t been touched. So now they’re closing our road access and then the ferry, the only way to get home now is by boat,” O’Neill told Reuters . .
AUSTRALIA ‘OVER-PREPARED’
Footage on social media showed petrol stations, houses, cars and street signs partially under water, while rubbish bins floated in flooded streets. Military vehicles were seen driving through flooded roads to evacuate stranded families. About 100 millimeters (4 inches) of rain could fall in the next 24 hours over a stretch of more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) along the New South Wales coast from Newcastle south of Sydney, the Bureau of Meteorology said. The weather could trigger flash floods and landslides, with river basins already nearing full capacity after the La Nina phenomenon, usually associated with increased rainfall, hit Australia’s east coast over the past two years. Climate change is widely believed to be a contributing factor to the frequent extreme weather events, the Climate Council said, adding that Australia was “preparing”. Federal Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt said climate change must be taken “seriously” because of frequent flooding. “The reality is we live in a changing climate,” Watt told ABC television. Bad weather delayed Monday’s scheduled launch of a NASA rocket from the Arnhem Space Center in northern Australia by 24 hours, operator Equatorial Launch Australia said. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Renju Jose and Jill Gralow. Editing by Sam Holmes, Lincoln Feast and Edwina Gibbs Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
