Flood warnings stretched across Australia’s east coast on Tuesday and tens of thousands of Sydney residents fled their homes as torrential rains again pummeled the country’s largest city, flooding several large suburbs.
Australia’s eastern rivers were already near capacity following record downpours in several parts of Queensland and New South Wales states over recent weeks, cutting off towns, and sweeping away farms, livestock and roads.
A 67-year-old woman and her 34-year-old son were found dead on Tuesday near an abandoned car in a stormwater canal in western Sydney, authorities said, while Queensland police confirmed the death of a man missing in floods since February 27, taking the death tally to 20 since the deluge began.
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 kilometers.
“A tough 24 hours or even 48 hours ahead,” Narramore said during a media briefing on Tuesday as he forecast up to 120 millimeters 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 millimeters since Monday morning, exceeding March’s mean rainfall of around 140 millimeters and triggering snap evacuation orders in the southwest of the city. Television footage showed flooded roads and submerged cars in Sydney’s northern beaches, with residents in low-lying areas told to be ready to evacuate.
Amid flash-flooding warnings, authorities asked Sydney’s 5 million residents to avoid unnecessary travel on roads and allow plenty of extra travel time for public transport.
An aerial view of the flooded city of Maryborough, Australia along the over-flowing Mary river on February 28, 2022 Photo: AFP
