Floods hit Sydney in Australia

Sydney, Australia, Mar 21 (efe-epa).- Heavy rains in eastern Australia have caused flooding in several neighborhoods in Sydney on Sunday, while the authorities have asked residents to be prepared for a possible evacuation

Gladys Berejiklian, premier of the state of New South Wales – whose capital is Sydney – told the media that these floods are the worst recorded in the region in more than half a century.

Torrential rains in recent days have caused the Warragamba Dam, located just a few kilometers from the city, to overflow.

The reservoir, which supplies water to Sydney, has been the main focus of concern for the emergency services.

The premier said that to avoid overflow and given the amount of rain they were witnessing, they would have to bring down the water storage of the dam by 20-25 percent to capture current inflows, which was not feasible.

Floods have also affected dozens of coastal towns in New South Wales, such as Bulahdelah, Taree and Port Macquarie, and the authorities have established 13 centers to shelter thousands of displaced residents.

Rivers have overflowed in several areas and inundated roads and hundreds of buildings, while dozens of people have had to be rescued by emergency services.

The regional authorities have asked the people to work from home during the next week in anticipation of heavy rains continuing, according to weather forecasts.

The authorities have also ordered the closure of dozens of schools.

The storm has also caused a delay in the vaccination campaign against Covid-19 in several areas of the region. EFE-EPA

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