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Mass evacuations as rains cause record flooding in Australia - DW

Mass evacuations were ordered in low-lying areas along Australia's east coast Saturday (Mar 20) as torrential rains caused potentially "life-threatening" floods across a region already soaked by an unusually wet summer, officials said.

Police said hundreds of people had flocked to evacuation centres in areas north of Sydney in New South Wales state, and they expected many more to seek shelter as the rains move south down the coast. 

The Bureau of Meteorology reported flooding levels surpassing record 2013 floods along the Hastings River outside Port Macquarie, about 400km north of Sydney.

Towns in the area have already seen record rainfall of more than 300mm since Friday morning, the bureau said.It warned the heavy rains were forecast to continue through Saturday "potentially leading to life-threatening flash flooding".

"It's not just the total rainfall amount, it's also how quickly and intensely that rainfall has actually fallen," Agata Imielska, a senior climatologist with the Bureau of Meteorology, said at a televised briefing.

"So today (we) are just really urging the community out there that this is the day to exercise that powerful protective action of staying home and staying safe."

Television footage showed flooded roads across the state, people kayaking through the streets, water engulfing houses up to the windows and rivers overflooding. Video posted on social media and broadcast on local TV showed an entire house being swept away in floodwaters in the state's centre.

The flood and extreme weather warnings stretched from Port Macquarie to areas 500km south of Sydney, where residents were urged to stay indoors due to the flash flooding risk.

Emergency services reported receiving more than 500 calls for help and carried out some 180 flood rescues overnight in the north of the affected area//CNA