The Australian city of Sydney was preparing Sunday for the worst flooding in decades following record rains, which overflowed a dam and led to mass evacuations.
Emergency services have ordered residents of low-lying areas in parts of the city to seek shelter amid a potentially ‘life threatening’ situation in the state of New South Wales.
The Warragamba Dam, which supplies much of Sydney’s drinking water, overflowed on Saturday afternoon, and floods of a level more seen since 1961 are expected in the Hawkesbury River downstream, authorities said.
“This is one of the biggest floods that we are likely to see in a very long time,” said Bureau of Meteorological Services official Justin Robinson.
Numerous evacuations have already taken place following the rising waters and some 4,000 additional people may be called upon to leave their homes in the coming days.
Those in flood-prone areas “must leave immediately,” insisted the state’s deputy emergency services commissioner, Dean Storey.
Many evacuees began to gather in centers north of the city on Saturday as torrential rains lashed the area.
State Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian was alarmed at an “event that only happens once in a century” and has been called a national disaster.
The bad weather is expected to intensify again on Monday north of Sydney before improving later in the week, according to the weather service.
The conditions “will still be dangerous,” said climate expert Agata Imielska, predicting more record rains in the coming days.
Emergency services have received more than 7,000 calls for help and have carried out 650 rescue operations since Thursday. They had to call in reinforcements from other states.
Australia is due to start the first major phase of its public anti-covid vaccination campaign on Monday. Flooding could create delays in the Sydney area.