愛污传媒

Skip to main content

500,000 people on flood alert as rain lashes Sydney

State emergency staff stand near the entrance to the flooded Windsor bridge on the outskirts of Sydney, Australia, on March 3, 2022. (Rick Rycroft / AP) State emergency staff stand near the entrance to the flooded Windsor bridge on the outskirts of Sydney, Australia, on March 3, 2022. (Rick Rycroft / AP)
Share
SYDNEY -

Around 500,000 people in Sydney and its surrounding areas had by Thursday been told to evacuate or prepare to flee floodwaters as torrential rain lashed an extraordinarily long stretch of the Australian east coast.

Rivers were rising in Australia's most populous city, home to 5 million, with New South Wales' State Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke warning of "treacherous weather conditions" over the next 24 hours.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology warned of life-threatening flash flooding and damaging winds with peak gusts in excess of 90 kilometres (56 miles) an hour.

Major flooding was expected along several rivers in and around Sydney. Dozens of suburbs were on high alert.

The State Emergency Service issued evacuation orders to 200,000 residents and evacuation warnings had been sent to another 300,000.

New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet urged residents to take the orders seriously.

"We do believe that things will get worse before they get better," Perrottet said.

Minor flood warnings were also issued for coastal communities as far as 200 kilometres (120 miles) south of Sydney.

Floodwaters were also rising in Brisbane, Australia's third-most populous city 730 kilometres (450 miles) north of Sydney, as severe thunder storms struck.

Hailstones 5 to 6 centimetres (2 inches) wide pounded the town of Inglewood, 270 kilometres (170 miles) southwest of Brisbane, early Thursday, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

Extraordinarily heavy rain brought flash floods to the Queensland state coast 500 kilometres (310 miles) north of the capital Brisbane last week and a south-moving low-pressure system had since brought the rain south of Sydney.

The flooding has claimed 14 lives in Queensland and neighbouring New South Wales since Feb. 22, when the body of a 63-year-old woman was recovered from a submerged car at Belli Park, north of Brisbane.

In New South Wales, a 54-year-old man was found Friday in a submerged SUV in Matcham, 90 kilometres (50 miles) north of Sydney.

Most recently, a man in his 70s was found in his flooded apartment Wednesday in Lismore, New South Wales. Four people died in the town of 28,000.

Several Brisbane suburbs remain flooded after the river that snakes through the city centre peaked on Monday.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Assistant Commissioner John Cawcutt said hundreds of people were calling for help in Brisbane 鈥 home to 2.6 million people 鈥 and its surrounds with heavy rain causing flash flooding.

"We've got high winds and of course we've got the potential for flash flooding because of the already sodden ground out there," Cawcutt told Nine Network television.

"Because of the saturation, creeks are rising very, very quickly 鈥 drains, stormwater areas, water is bubbling up from below ground so it's right across Brisbane," Cawcutt added.

He described the dangerous weather extending north of Brisbane and south of Sydney as an "enormous event."

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Laura Boekel said thunderstorms brought the chance of more flooding, extending 450 kilometres (280 miles) north from Brisbane to Bundaberg during the next day or two.

"This is a very dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation for southeast Queensland," Boekel said.

____

McGuirk contributed from Canberra, Australia.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.

A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.

A new report suggests that Canadians' exposure to a radioactive gas is increasing, putting millions of people at a higher risk of developing lung cancer.

Local Spotlight

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.