[ad_1]
Hundreds of stranded people have been rescued from their homes and cars in the Australian state of New South Wales, as heavy rains in several locations have led to record flooding, SBS reports.
The Parramatta River in Sydney is one of the waterways that have been flooded.
Flood warnings have been issued for more waterways in the state and social media is littered with images of entire houses and cars washed away, or people evacuated in small boats.
– It’s not just about the total amount of precipitation, it’s also about how fast and intense the precipitation has fallen, says Agata Imielska of the Bom meteorological authority during a press conference.
Several cities have already been evacuated and residents of low-lying areas are being urged to leave their homes. Flooded roads have isolated entire communities and around 1,000 homes in the western Sydney area are without electricity, ABC News reports.
Bom also warns of the danger of going out on flooded roads.
– If you don’t have to go out today, then it’s time to stay home, says Agata Imielska from Bom.
The La Niña weather phenomenon has already led to the wettest and coolest summer in Australia in at least five years, according to Bom. And the summer month of December 2020 was the third wettest since they began publishing meteorological data in the country in 1900.
