“Phenomenal” rains over the past week have led to some of the worst floods in the Australian state of New South Wales, officials said Monday, with some rivers exceeding record levels.
Thousands of people have been displaced from their homes, and hundreds more have been rescued from the rising floods that have isolated dozens of cities in Australia’s most populous state.
About 18,000 people have been evacuated due to flooding in New South Wales (NSW) and emergency services feared that up to 54,000 people could be forced to flee their homes as heavy rain continued until Wednesday.
“We have not seen anything like this since the 1960s,” Prime Minister Gladys Beredzhiklyan said. In those parts of the state that are most affected, this event occurs once a century; In other regions, such as the Hawkesbury area, the event only happens once every 50 years, she said.
