Australian authorities ordered people to evacuate Thursday, April 7 following heavy rains in Sydney which caused flooding, threatening homes and flooding roads.
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Residents of Chipping Norton and Woronora neighborhoods in the southwest and south of the city were ordered to evacuate on Thursday afternoon as river levels rose as nervous residents watched.
Evolution at “exceptional speed”
“We saw exceptionally strong and sudden bursts of rain which caused sudden and significant flooding in parts of Illawarrasaid Daniel Austin, deputy commissioner of the New South Wales State Emergency Service, of which Sydney is the capital. “We ask the community to continue to be vigilant. This is a very dynamic situation. These events are moving at an exceptional speed.»
“For the properties located a little lower, the situation is really worrying”
Belinda, resident of Woronora
Footage taken in Australia’s most populous city showed roads turned into torrents, cars struggling in floodwaters and debris tumbling rapidly down rivers. Woronora resident Belinda told national broadcaster ABC that the river was flowing faster than she had ever seen. “Our properties are quite high so there is not much danger of us being flooded, but for the properties located a bit lower the situation is really concerning“, she said.
Red alerts, setting up emergency services
Red flood alerts were issued for several southern suburbs, while the city’s five million residents were warned of the possibility of flash flooding over the weekend. State emergency services said they have responded to more than 680 calls for help from people affected by the weather so far. This new deluge comes less than a week after huge waves swept over the coastline, causing entire beaches to be swallowed up, including the legendary Bondi Beach.
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Eastern Australia has experienced several extreme weather events in recent weeks, aided by the La Nina phenomenon and climate change. Record bad weather and flooding have killed at least 22 people since early February.