To live
The flood crisis that engulfed New South Wales claimed eight lives after two bodies were found in flood waters in western Sydney, and tens of thousands of people were also ordered to evacuate after another day of incessant rain.
Residents of some parts of Sydney, who survived the flood 12 months ago, were warned that rivers could rise on Tuesday night and this time conditions will worsen.
Prime Minister Dominique Perotte says 40,000 people in New Wales are under evacuation orders, including in dozens of suburbs around Greater Sydney, following Tuesday’s floods.
Sydney’s northern beaches have experienced the heaviest rainfall: more than 128mm of rain in Mosman for six hours before 12:30 and 93mm of rain in Mona Vale for three hours on Tuesday afternoon.
Footage posted on social media shows the water in the Harbor Tunnel collapsing, parts of the mall’s roof collapsed into Bondi Westfield, and cars left trapped when heavy rain flooded parts of the Rosville Bridge.
The SES received more than 2,500 calls for help in 24 hours and carried out about 200 flood rescues, mostly in Sydney.
The city has survived 16 days in a row, and by Wednesday is expected to rest from the flood, and by Thursday – without signs of the sun.
On Wednesday, gusts of up to 90 km / h are forecast, which will continue south to the Ilawara region, and there is a risk that the wind could cut down trees and cut off power lines.
About 4,500 homes and businesses have already lost electricity after fallen trees hit power lines during storms in Shoalhaven, Ilawara and the Southern Highlands south of Sydney.
Endeavor Energy said power will also be isolated in 2,000 homes in the Hawkesbury-Nepian watershed.
The area in western Sydney is experiencing floods as severe or worse than those observed last March, the Dean Naramor Bureau of Meteorology said Tuesday afternoon.
The strength will depend on how much rainfall will fall in the next 12 hours.
Floods, worse than last year, were already occurring Tuesday afternoon in western Sydney on the Upper Nepian River in Menangle and the Hawkesbury River in Lower Portland and the Wismans Ferry.
In North Richmond, Windsor and Saxville, levels worse than 2021 are also possible, warns BOM.
On Wednesday morning, Hawkesbury could reach 14.2 meters in North Richmond, and further ascents are possible along the river.
In the Hunter Bulga region on Wednesday morning may observe worse floods than last year, and major floods could also affect Singleton.
On Tuesday, several areas of the city were warned to prepare for the evacuation.
The deaths of two people killed in western Sydney have been called a “tragic reminder” for people to stay out of the way.
New Wales police superintendent Paul Daveny said the Wentworthville Canal, where the bodies of a mother and son were found on Tuesday, “rose from ankle to neck height this morning in minutes”.
The victims are believed to be 67-year-old Hemalatasolgir Satchitanantamand and her 34-year-old son Bramut, who went missing in the area after their car was found in a storm canal on Monday.
Efforts to restore the bodies were hampered by the weather in an operation involving police divers, a rescue team, aid from the State Emergency Service and PolAir.
The first body was found about 1.4 kilometers from the car, and the second – about 900 meters away.
More than 30,000 insurance claims have been filed around New Wales, the Australian Insurance Council said, and the estimated cost of flooding in Queensland and New Wales is now approaching $ 1.5 billion.
Some may wait weeks before their claims are assessed.
-APA
