The Australian emergency services ordered this Thursday (03.03.2022) the evacuation of 200,000 people due to the advance of a strong storm towards Sydney that has left devastating floods and 13 deaths in the last week on the east coast of the country.
Authorities issued severe warnings for rain and wind in a 400-kilometer stretch of coastline that includes suburban areas of Sydney, Australia’s largest city where 5 million people live.
The unpredictable storm has moved south from the state of Queensland to New South Wales, leaving a trail of destruction from rising rivers and reservoirs that have caused severe flooding, with townships covered to the roof.
“A lot of people are waking up today to see part of their state under water,” said NSW regional leader Dominic Perrottet.
“If you are the subject of one of these evacuation orders, please leave (…) Things will get worse before they get better,” he told a news conference.
Authorities have ordered 200,000 people to leave their homes and put another 300,000 on notice to be prepared to do the same.
A dam southwest of Sydney that supplies water to 80% of the city has overflowed since early Wednesday, accelerating the flooding of some areas.
Forecasters predicted that the storm could drop 50-150 millimeters of rain during the day in and around Sydney, or even more.
jc (afp, ap)
–
