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Topics: Weather, Australia, World News
Emily Brown
Thousands of people in Australia have been forced to evacuate after Sydney and surrounding areas were hit with torrential rain and flooding.
Authorities evacuated residents after the heavy rains forced dams to overflow and waterways to swell over their banks, causing water to flood streets and buildings.
The disaster marks Australia's fourth round of flooding in less than 18 months following similar disasters in March 2021 and March and April 2022.
In just 24 hours, some areas between Newcastle, located north of Sydney, and Wollongong to the south of Sydney had more than 39 inches of rain, while others had more than 59 inches.
These rainfall totals are nearly equivalent to the average annual rainfall for coastal areas of New South Wales, according to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology manager Jane Golding, per CBS News. For comparison, the annual rainfall average in the United Kingdom last year was 42 inches, Statista reports.
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As the flooding continued, Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt commented: "The latest information we have is that there's a very good chance that the flooding will be worse than any of the other three floods that those areas had in the last 18 months."
As many as 32,000 people have been impacted by evacuation orders, according to New South Wales state Premier Dominic Perrottet, and the number is expected to rise throughout the week. Golding said the system generating the weather showed signs of easing tomorrow (5 July), though rain has been forecast across New South Wales' coast throughout the week.
As well as the heavy rainfall, strong winds have brought down trees which have caused damage to rooftops and blocked roads. Emergency services have already had to make numerous rescues after receiving calls for help, and residents have been advised against undertaking any unnecessary travel.
Theresa Fedeli, mayor of Camden, described the situation as devastating and said the town was 'in disbelief' at the flooding.
Per Sky News, she continued: "Most of them have just come out of the last flood, getting their homes back in place, their businesses back in place and unfortunately we are saying it is happening again."
One man is reported to have died after being rescued from an overflowing river in western Sydney on Sunday. Another man was killed after a kayak capsized on the Parramatta river near Canada Bay, though this incident does not yet appear to have been linked to the weather.
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