Sydney, Oct 25 (BNA) – Australian authorities warned Tuesday that flood-affected areas in the southeast are poised for more rain, as emergency services issued a new batch of evacuation orders.
Overnight, authorities asked hundreds of residents to evacuate the New South Wales town of Narrabri, a town of 12,000 people about 550km northwest of Sydney, where flowing water from a nearby full dam exacerbated the flooding.
In neighboring Günede district, residents suffered their fifth flood in 12 months, with television footage showing people evacuating their homes through waist-deep floodwaters carrying pets and personal belongings.
An online video showed a resident kayaking the flooded streets and heading straight to a flooded garage.
“Obviously the flood risk and threat remains across NSW today and will continue for a few days to come. The rivers are very full and of course our dams are mostly at full capacity at the moment,” Steve Cook, NSW Emergency Services Minister, on Tuesday . “Even the smallest amount of rain can cause an increased risk of flash floods and river flooding.”
Local media reported that a freight train crashed overnight near Naradhan, about 600 kilometers west of Sydney, and its crew were rescued without injuries after railways were wrecked in heavy rain.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting 50 mm (1.97 inches) of rain across large swaths of the southeast on Wednesday and Thursday, with 100 mm (3.94 inches) or more over parts of the mainland and most of the island of Tasmania.
Fresh rain over flooded watersheds means dozens of waterways in NSW and Victoria are at risk of flooding, with 209 flood warnings in place in the most populous states, with the bulk of evacuations taking place in NSW.
Flooding is also expected in several river systems in neighboring states such as Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania.
MI