Australia orders thousands to evacuate due to flooding in Sydney

Sydney, Australia, Jul 4 (EFE).- Around 32,000 residents of Sydney and surrounding areas were under evacuation orders and warnings on Monday as a result of flooding caused by heavy rains over the weekend.

The almost 70 orders to evacuate affect various areas of western Sydney, where the levels of the Hawkesbury, Nepean and Colo rivers continue to rise, especially after the more than 100 millimeters of rain that have fallen since Sunday throughout a 200-kilometre stretch of the Australian east coast.

The devastating floods, which also prompted authorities to issue more than 65 warnings for residents to prepare to evacuate, have blocked roads, partially submerged bridges, vehicles and houses, as well as leaving some communities isolated.

“For many communities, this is the fourth flood they have seen in less than 18 months. Some of those images are truly heartbreaking, seeing people’s homes, their lives turned upside down again and their livelihoods very much impacted,” the New South Wales Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke told reporters in Sydney.

As a result of the heavy rains, which are expected to continue during the week on the coast of NSW, the authorities have deployed 200 defence force troops and two night-time helicopters.

In March, several areas of NSW, including western Sydney and Lismore, about 600 kilometers north of the city, were devastated by floods, which claimed more than 20 lives and caused millions in material damage. EFE

wat/tw