Sydney asks thousands to evacuate as torrential rains cause flash floods
April 7, 2022, 10:37 am

Sydney asks thousands to evacuate as torrential rains cause flash floods

Torrential rain pummeled Australia’s east coast on Thursday (7 Apr) with Sydney receiving nearly a month’s rain overnight, turning suburban roads into rivers and triggering evacuations as authorities warn of more rain through the day (File photo: Pixabay)

The Arab News reported, citing Reuters, torrential rain pummeled Australia’s east coast on Thursday (7 Apr) with Sydney receiving nearly a month’s rain overnight, turning suburban roads into rivers and triggering evacuations as authorities warn of more rain through the day.

A man swept away by floodwaters in the city’s northwest was rescued by emergency crews, media reported, while television footage showed vehicles struggling to cross waterlogged streets, fallen power lines and trees, and debris floating in rivers.

Residents of a nursing home were evacuated overnight as emergency crews urged the harbor city’s 5 million residents to avoid unnecessary travel and brace for possible evacuations.

“This is a highly dynamic situation. These events are moving exceptionally quickly,” New South Wales emergency services Acting Commissioner Daniel Austin said during a media briefing. He said: “Exceptionally sharp, short bursts of rain” have been creating flash flooding almost every hour.

Thousands Australians have been ordered to evacuate their homes while businesses cleared essentials to help mitigate their losses (File photo: Pixabay) — Thousands Australians have been ordered to evacuate their homes while businesses cleared essentials to help mitigate their losses. (File photo: Pixabay)

The Bureau of Meteorology said, Sydney has received 1,227 mm (48 inches) of rain so far this year, more than its average annual rainfall of 1,213 mm. Over the next 24 hours, many coastal towns could get up to 180 mm (7 inches).

Official data showed that the tourist hot spot of Bondi recorded around 170 mm over the 24-hour period to 9 a.m. Thursday (2300 GMT, Wednesday).

Thousands have been ordered to evacuate their homes while businesses cleared essentials to help mitigate their losses.

Australia will move away from reporting daily COVID-19 deaths

Nicola Gilfillan, a cafe owner in southwest Sydney, told ABC television: “All hands are on deck to try and save some furniture ... so we have been pretty busy lifting things up ... moving things away, unplugging filters and electricity, and things like that."

Overflow from a fuel pit at a site owned by oil refiner Ampol in Sydney’s south caused oil to mix with flood waters but emergency crews said the spill has been contained and that there was no risk of danger in the area.

The weather bureau said, a severe weather warning stretched along the south coast of New South Wales over a distance of more than 600 kilometers but conditions are expected to ease from Thursday evening.

Australia's diverse genetic koala could help save endangered colonies

Authorities said that Australia’s east coast summer has been dominated by the La Nina weather phenomenon, typically associated with increased rainfall, for the second straight year, with most rivers at capacity even before the latest drenching. Warragamba Dam, Sydney’s major water supply, is expected to spill over on Friday.

Three intense weather systems in six weeks have pounded eastern Australia, with several parts of northern New South Wales and southeast Queensland clocking record rains and Sydney registering its wettest March on record.

Climate change is also widely believed to be a contributing factor to the severe weather, which has raised questions about how prepared Australia is.

Australia partners with Indonesia to tackle Indo-Pacific pollution

Several towns across northern New South Wales are still battling to clear tons of debris after two separate devastating floods in March but the latest weather event has smashed the state’s central and southern coast.

Source: arabnews

Israel imposes age restrictions on Palestinian males for Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque Hungary's foreign minister says his country receives nuclear fuel from Russia by air

Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.