On Tuesday, torrential rains hit Sydney, Australia’s largest city, again, inundating several of its large suburbs and driving tens of thousands of residents out of their homes, as flash flood warnings spread across the country’s east coast. . The evacuation of some 80,000 people in the region of New South Wales where Sydney is located, was ordered by the authorities.
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Heavy rains hitting Australia’s New South Wales state have submerged bridges, flooded homes and washed away cars.
But the human cost is also increasing. According to authorities, a 67-year-old woman and her 34-year-old son were found dead near an abandoned car in a stormwater canal in western Sydney, while police in the neighboring state of Queensland confirmed the death of a man. disappeared by the floods since February 27, which brings to 21 the number of victims since the deluge began.
Most of the deceased people were found in their flooded homes or in their cars while trying to cross the flooded roads.
Sydney and some suburbs received up to 200mm of rain from Monday morning, exceeding the average March rainfall of around 140mm. The images released by the media showed flooded roads and submerged cars on the beaches in the north of the city. Now, landslides and floods are feared.
“There’s a tough 24 or even 48 hours ahead,” Dean Narramore of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology told a news conference on Tuesday. Narramore forecast up to 120mm of rain in Sydney over the next 24 hours, but added that he expects the storm to clear from Thursday.
These downpours also come at a time when Australia’s eastern rivers are about to crest after record rainfall in parts of Queensland and New South Wales states in recent weeks, and they have cut off cities, razed farms, cattle and roads.
Meanwhile in Queensland, Australia’s third most populous state, cleanup and reconstruction work continues after flooding more than a week ago, which left more than 20,000 homes and businesses damaged.
“An unprecedented event”
“Sadly, we are seeing record rainfall again, as well as the effects of major flooding on our river system,” New South Wales Emergency Service Commissioner Carlene York told a news conference in Sydney.
“People make decisions based on past history and I think this event shows that there is no past history similar to what is happening,” he added.
Next May, Australia will hold its federal elections while the popularity of Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been plummeting for months due to his management of the Covid-19 pandemic and the crisis that the oceanic country suffered a year ago with the numerous fires that devastated millions of hectares and caused the death of dozens of people.
Morrison ordered more defense force personnel to be sent to flood-affected areas and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet – touring flood-affected areas – declared he took responsibility for the shortcomings. of his Government in terms of rescue and aid measures.
Some municipalities very little prepared
Australia has been hit hard in recent years by climate change, with droughts, deadly bushfires and floods becoming more frequent and intense.
The western Sydney region is no stranger to these disasters and the recent rains are falling in basins already drenched by severe flooding in March last year.
According to a study published by The Conversation following an investigation carried out in eight municipalities in western Sydney, municipalities are not prepared to face environmental catastrophes such as these latest floods since most have limited resources and tight budgets, trying to balance the different urban development priorities.
“When catastrophes such as flooding occur, state and territory governments can declare a state of emergency and issue evacuation orders,” the researchers recalled.
But it is the municipalities that are in a central position to increase the adaptive capacity of the community. According to the study, this work to strengthen resilience should include the preparation of flood maps, the restriction of certain infrastructures near high-risk areas, and the communication of evacuation routes to residents.
