Australia's Sydney braces for floods amid massive rainfall

The heavy rains caused Sydney’s main dam to spill overnight, water authorities said

Australia’s biggest city Sydney is bracing for severe flooding on Sunday amid heavy rainfall in the region.  

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.

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.

‘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 modelling showed the spill would be comparable to a major spill in March 2021 at the Warragamba Dam.

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  Floods in eastern Australia — in pictures

  Rain and flash floods

  On Monday, the streets of Lismore in the state of New South Wales were flooded. Meteorologists had warned of flash floods and wind gusts of up to 90 kilometers (56 miles) per hour. Although the waters have receded somewhat since then, dozens of districts remain on high alert.

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  Floods in eastern Australia — in pictures

  City of ‘broken hearts’

  Lismore has been hit particularly hard. The small town in the far east of Australia has recorded the worst flooding in its history. Numerous buildings, shops and streets were destroyed. Mayor Steve Krieg also lost everything: his house and grocery shop were submerged. “There are broken hearts everywhere in this city, just like mine,” he said.

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  Floods in eastern Australia — in pictures

  Arduous cleanup

  Sarah Fish worked in one of the destroyed shops in Lismore. Now she’s helping with the cleanup in the city’s central business district. The New South Wales administration announced it would send 400 additional helpers to the region to support people on the “very, very long road” of cleaning up and rebuilding.

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  Floods in eastern Australia — in pictures

  High water levels

  Ballina Road in Lismore was also flooded. A sign shows the height of the water level during the last record flood in 1974. Meanwhile, in the capital, Sydney, people are preparing for the next bout of torrential rains.

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  Floods in eastern Australia — in pictures

  Blocked roads

  In Cabarita, also in New South Wales, floods are blocking the road. But at least the rains have stopped. The water came with deadly force — at least 13 people have died in the floods so far.

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  Floods in eastern Australia — in pictures

  Australia to face more extreme weather

  In Chinderah, those who cannot help themselves are brought to safety by boat. Scientists have said climate change will cause more floods, bush fires, cyclones and droughts on the continent. “Australia is at the forefront of severe climate change,” Hilary Bambrick of the Queensland University of Technology told the AFP news agency.

  Author: Claudia Dehn

“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.

The SES said it has rescued 29 people from floodwaters in the past 24 hours.

sri/msh (Reuters)