Sydney faces worst floods in 60 years

Sydney faces worst floods in 60 years

Pitt Town (Australia):  23.03.2021 

Australia was set on Monday to evacuate thousands more people from suburbs in Sydney’s west, battered by the worst flooding in 60 years, with torrential rains expected to continue for another day or two. Reuters images showed submerged intersections, marooned livestock and cars up to their windshields in water, out of which poked the tops of street signs, as three days of rain swelled rivers in the most populous state of New South Wales “This is an ongoing situation that is evolving and is extremely dangerous,” PM Scott Morrison told parliament. Australia’s coal exports were disrupted, as the deluge shut rail lines into the port of Newcastle, the world’s largest coal export port, and forced some mines to cut output.

Sunday was Sydney’s wettest day of the year, with almost 111 mm of rain, while 900 mm was dumped in some north coast regions in the last six days, or more than three times the March average, government data showed. The Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers flooded most of northwestern Sydney, leaving residents stranded. “You get a lot of rubbish. It was going past...as fast as the ski boats go-...As soon as it broke the banks, it was like a torrent,” said Larry Powers, after he was rescued from Pitt Town. A helicopter rescued a bride and groom on Saturday to get them to the church on time. Authorities said about 18,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas. REUTERS