Authorities have issued a warning that flood waters are expected to rise in Sydney after heavy rain on Friday caused flash flood in pieces of Australia’s second-largest area.
Heavy rains pummelled parts of the city for 24 hours, forcing hundreds to leave the state’s outskirts.
The rain also caused the city’s primary supply of water, the Warragamba Dam, to flow two days earlier than expected.
People who reside upstream of the bridge have been warned to expect more storms.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the bridge started spilling on Saturday night and has since been pumping inland the equivalent of 80 000 Olympic-sized swimming pools every minute.
The dam’s water levels were expected to peak by midnight local time ( 13: 00 GMT ) on Saturday, according to officials. However, some people have been informed of additional flood threats because the majority of the water from the bridge has not yet reached Sydney’s flood-prone areas.
New South Wales State Emergency Service director Carlene York stated to writers,” We have been out with the group, letting them know what is coming and making sure they prepare.”
We do n’t believe that the water in those areas is having a significant impact on rural farmland, stock, families, and businesses; however, we do know that the river will continue to flow at a high level in those areas.
In the upcoming weeks, the water levels in the Hawkesbury and Nepean river are expected to rise.
WaterNSW CEO Andrew George reported that another reservoirs, including the Blue Mountains bridge and the Tallowa Dam on the Shaolhaven River, were likewise leaking waters. Spillages from three different urban reservoirs was expected, he said, quoted by 9News.
Authorities issued emergency evacuation instructions for many of the state’s low-lying regions, including Richmond and Windsor, after a week’s worth of rain started to pour through Sydney on Friday.
While the incident rain situation appears to be easing and it appears as though Sydney is currently sporting blue skies, it is important to take into account that overflow levels in some of the rivers, especially in northern Sydney, are still rising, which poses a threat to some communities, according to New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, who spoke to reporters on Saturday.
More than 150 people were rescued from landslides on Saturday, the New South Wales State Emergency Service said, adding that 72 rescue took place in Sydney.
One man was found deceased in waters near a supply in Penrith, in Sydney’s east on Saturday. It was not immediately apparent whether his dying was related to the storm, according to New South Wales officers.
Some trains in Sydney have been halted because of flooding along the paths, and many streets have also been closed.
Additionally, thousands of people have been left without electricity.
Images also show houses being destroyed in Wollongong area, north of the state capital, in addition to the disruption in Sydney.
Queensland state has also issued flood instructions, with people advised to avoid unnecessary vacation.
