Sydney, April. Heavy rains caused flash floods in Sydney, Australia’s largest city, prompting rescue operations and residents to move into sandbag homes, while authorities warned of bad weather ahead.
Emergency authorities have received 50 requests for help, mostly to sandbag properties and help seal leaky roofs, from residents in Sydney, the state capital of New South Wales, due to the flood on Sunday, Reuters reported.
This comes after Sydney recorded in 2022 the wettest year in 164 years, as the eastern coast of Australia suffered a rare third year in a row from the La Nina weather phenomenon, associated with increased precipitation.
A spokesman for the New South Wales state emergency service told Reuters that two people had been safely pulled from cars stranded in floodwaters in Sydney’s inner suburbs.
“Do not walk by car or ride through flood waters,” said an SES spokesperson.
Outside of Sydney, there were 27 requests for help in the Central Coast region, about 87 kilometers (54 miles) north of Sydney.
The country’s weather service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of Sydney on Sunday, forecasting heavy rain and possible flash floods, and warned of more rain in the city this week.
“This situation can change quickly, so if people are monitoring conditions and heeding those warnings… that would be excellent for keeping people safe,” said a NSW SES spokesperson.
MI