Australia floods: thousands evacuated, schools shut as fresh rains worsen

Name: Homes swept away as Australia’s worst flooding forces 18,000 people to evacuate
Uploaded: 2021-03-22T03:43:19.000Z
Duration: 1 min 56 s
Description: Homes swept away as Australia’s worst flooding forces 18,000 people to evacuate

The days-long deluge has inundated coastal areas of New South Wales and eight million residents were told to avoid unnecessary travel

In Sydney, swollen rivers were expected to peak at levels not seen since 1961 after the Warragamba Dam spilled over last week

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Residents transport household items on kayaks along a street submerged in floodwaters in Windsor, Sydney. Photo: Bloomberg

Agence France-Presse

Published: 11:43am, 22 Mar 2021Updated: 7:01pm, 22 Mar 2021

Torrential rains lashed Australia’s southeast again on Monday, worsening once-in-a-century flooding that has forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes and closed hundreds of schools.

The days-long deluge has inundated coastal areas of New South Wales, the country’s most populous state, with parts of Sydney experiencing what officials predicted would be the biggest flood in decades.

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Homes swept away as Australia’s worst flooding forces 18,000 people to evacuate

On Monday, eight million residents were told to avoid unnecessary travel and work from home if possible, as some hard-hit areas received 25 centimetres of rain in 24 hours.

Just over a year ago the region was parched: suffering prolonged drought, water restrictions and unprecedented bush fires.

Scientists have warned Australia can expect to see more frequent and more extreme weather events as a result of climate change.