Record precipitation and extensive flooding led to evacuations on Saturday March 20 along Australia's east coast, where Sydney's main reservoir overflowed for the first time in 30 years.
The authorities called on the population to evacuate low-lying areas on the east coast, following torrential rains that could cause flash floods and "
endanger the lives
" of residents, after an already unusually wet southern summer.
“
The rains that we have observed are very heavy and have broken records,
” said Agata Imielska of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
Read also: Call for evacuation due to flooding on Australia's east coast
Hundreds of people have gathered at evacuation centers north of Sydney, NSW, and authorities say many more will seek shelter as the rain descends south on along the coast.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology, flooding exceeded the record level of 2013 at Port Macquarie, 400 km north of Sydney.
In this region, more than 400 millimeters of rain have fallen since Friday morning, according to the weather forecast.
Authorities have advised residents not to go outside due to the risk of life-threatening flash floods.
Floods and life threatening weather warnings affect an area from Port Macquarie up to 500 km south of Sydney.
"Unknown territory"
The Warragamba dam, which supplies most of Sydney's drinking water, also began to overflow on Saturday afternoon.
According to experts, this is the first time that it overflows significantly since 1990. "
We are in uncharted territory
," said Ian Wright, an expert hydrologist at Western University of Sydney, explaining that the Rapid urbanization of the area around the dam since 1990 means that excess water can no longer be reabsorbed by fallow land.
“
Urban development has created new hard, impermeable surfaces and drainage infrastructure.
In heavy rains this can quickly generate high velocity flood water
, ”tweeted Ian Wright.
Read also: The impressive photos of natural disasters in 2020
The most severe flooding was this Saturday on the coast north of Sydney.
The television showed streets of towns and villages under water, and a house floating in a river swollen with rain.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison lamented "
utterly heartbreaking scenes
" and offered the military help with relief.
The public channel ABC said that the bad weather would also delay the vaccination campaign against Covid-19, already sluggish, in Sydney and its surroundings.
The rescue services said they had received more than 3,000 calls for help and carried out more than 300 interventions during the night from Friday to Saturday and during the day on Saturday to shelter people from the floods.