‘Tough 24 Hours Ahead’ as Rains Drench Sydney, Forcing Snap Evacuations

By Derrick Bangura

Flood warnings stretched across Australia’s east coast on Tuesday and tens of thousands of Sydney residents fled their homes as torrential rains again pummelled the country’s largest city, flooding several big suburbs.
Following record downpours in several parts of Queensland and New South Wales states in recent weeks, which cut off towns and swept away farms, livestock, and roads, Australia’s eastern rivers were already near capacity.
Authorities said a 67-year-old woman and her 34-year-old son were discovered dead near an abandoned car in a stormwater canal in western Sydney, while Queensland police confirmed the death of a man who had been missing in floods since Feb. 27, bringing the death toll to 20 since the deluge began. The majority of the dead were discovered in flooded homes or in cars attempting to cross flooded roads.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Dean Narramore said minor to major flooding was occurring from the Queensland to Victoria border, a distance of more than 1,555 kms (966 miles).

“A tough 24 hours or even 48 hours ahead,” Narramore said during a media briefing on Tuesday as he forecast up to 120 mm (5 inches) of rains across Sydney over the next 24 hours, with the storm expected to clear by late Wednesday.
Heavy rains lashed Sydney with some suburbs having received up to 200 mm since Monday morning, exceeding March’s mean rainfall of around 140 mm and triggering snap evacuation orders in the southwest and northeast of the city. Television footage showed flooded roads and submerged cars in Sydney’s northern beaches, with residents in low-lying areas told to evacuate.
“We had a guy walking through last night, with water up to his neck,” said boat broker Angelo Testa, who used a dinghy to rescue people in Sydney’s southwest, according to the Guardian.