After four days of torrential rain, floodwaters have submerged roads and homes, forcing thousands of residents of Sydney, Australia to flee their homes on Tuesday July 5.
New South Wales' emergency services assisted 22 people over the course of Monday through Tuesday and called for approximately 50,000 people to evacuate.
Power cuts have been caused by flooding, heavy rains and strong winds to approximately 19,000 homes.
Australia is especially affected by climate change. It is regularly struck by droughts and devastating forest fires, as well as repeated, more intense floods.
"Sydney's not in danger. Now is not the right time to slack," Carlene York, state's emergency service manager, said.
Dominic Perrottet, the Premier of New South Wales, urged people to obey evacuation orders and said that "this event was far from over".
Federal government declares a state of emergency in 23 areas of New South Wales that have been flooded, and releases aid to those affected.
The heavy rains that fell on already soggy ground caused rapid water levels to rise, particularly in the western suburbs.
Many of these residents were already victims of the new meteorological episode. In 2021, more than twenty people died in the floods that hit the east coast.
Although the rain has stopped in some parts of Sydney, flood warnings will likely persist for several days according to Jane Golding, state's meteor service.
