Tens of thousands flee Sydney as deadly flooding continues in Australia

Flood warnings extended across Australia’s east coast on Tuesday, as tens of thousands of Sydney residents fled their homes at night as torrential rain again hit the country’s largest city, causing flash floods.

A man and woman were found dead on Tuesday near an abandoned car in a rainwater canal in western Sydney, authorities said, while Queensland police confirmed the death of a man missing in floods since February 27, bringing the death toll to 20 since the accident. The flood began. Most of the dead were found either in flooded houses or in cars trying to cross flooded roads.

Met Office forecaster Dean Naramore said minor to major flooding occurred from Queensland to the Victoria border, more than 1,555 km (966 miles) away.

“24 hours or even 48 hours before,” Naramor said during a media briefing on Tuesday, as he forecast up to 120 mm (5 inches) of rain across Sydney in the next 24 hours, with the storm expected to pass late Wednesday. .

Heavy rain has fallen over Sydney overnight with up to 200mm of rain arriving in some suburbs since Monday morning, exceeding the March average of around 140mm, triggering flash floods and emergency evacuation orders in the city’s southwest.

Television images showed besieged roads, homes and cars, and the roof of a supermarket in the city collapsed.

Emergency services estimate that around 70,000-80,000 people in Greater Sydney are facing evacuation orders, and people are urged to follow them.

“People are making decisions based on past history and I think this event showed that there is no prior history comparable to this event,” NSW Emergency Service Commissioner Carlin York told reporters.

Frustration was growing among many flood-affected residents as they struggled to remove rubble and sludge, with electricity and internet cuts continuing in many towns. Authorities fear more rain will hamper relief efforts as emergency teams look to clear roads to deliver essential supplies.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who is lagging behind in opinion polls ahead of federal elections due in May, said on Monday that more Defense Force personnel would be sent to flood-affected areas.

(Reuters)