Sydney floods: Warnings of further deluge as major dam spills
Flood waters are expected to rise in Sydney after torrential rainfall on Friday caused flash flooding in parts of Australia’s second-largest city, the authorities have warned. Heavy rain pummelled parts of the city for 24 hours, forcing thousands to evacuate the city’s outskirts. The rain also caused the city’s main supply of water, the Warragamba Dam, to spill two days earlier than expected. People living downstream of the dam have been warned to expect more floods. The dam started spilling on Saturday morning and has been pumping the equivalent of 80,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools downstream every single hour since, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The dam’s water levels were expected to peak by midnight local time (13:00 GMT) on Saturday, according to officials. But some residents have been warned of further flood risks as most of the water from the dam is yet to reach Sydney’s flood-prone areas. “We have been out with the community, letting them know what is coming and ensuring they prepare,” New South Wales State Emergency Service commissioner Carlene York told reporters. “We don’t think those waters are affecting a significant amount of people in those areas but certainly rural farmland, stock and families and businesses… need to be aware of the next couple of days as the water will continue to flow down at a high level in those river systems.” The water levels in the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers are expected to rise in the coming days. WaterNSW CEO Andrew George said there was also water spillage coming from other dams, including the Tallowa Dam on the Shaolhaven River and the Blue Mountains dam. Spillages from three other metropolitan dams was expected, he said, quoted by 9News. (BBC)
