Australia’s most populous state hit by severe floods

Special Desk

Australia has declared a natural disaster in large swaths of New South Wales (NSW) as heavy rains force thousands to evacuate.

Local authorities are urging people not to drive through flooded areas as they could get easily swept away by the strong currents. Rains have been inundating communities, and parts of the east coast tipped into crisis as a major dam overflowed, adding to swollen rivers and causing flash flooding.

NSW and federal government have signed 16 natural disaster declarations in areas spanning the central and mid-north coast, from Hunter Valley near Sydney to Coff’s Harbour, said NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliott in a news conference.

There have been no deaths reported yet — but, Elliott warned, “we are moving closer and closer to the inevitable fatality.”

Some families were forced to evacuate in the middle of the night as rivers rose to dangerous levels, and 4,000 more people — primarily in the Hawkesbury region — may have to evacuate, said state Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

“This is nothing like we’ve seen since the 1960s,” Berejiklian said. In parts of the state that have been hit harder, this is a once-a-century event; in other regions like the Hawkesbury area, it’s a “one-in-50-years” event, she said.

Prime Minister praised emergency workers and volunteers in his comments, urging people in flood-hit regions to listen to their advice and warnings. Heavy rains are expected to continue in the upcoming week, with a rain band forecast to move across the state from the west, bringing significant rainfall to the northern inland and northwestern slopes, said the Bureau of Meteorology.

The worst-affected areas could see rain totals more than four times the March monthly average falling in just two days.

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Flooding on the Hawkesbury River, which runs north and west of Sydney, is expected to be as bad as a similar event that occurred in 1961, according to a statement from the Bureau of Meteorology.

Over 130 schools in New South Wales will remain close on Monday, for maintenance and repair according to local officials.