Emergency warnings were issued for almost the whole New South Wales (NSW) coastline, including Sydney and the surrounding areas, as a strong storm swept across Australia’s east coast on Tuesday. The storm brought with it severe winds and torrential rain.
Authorities issued evacuation orders, especially for beachfront regions along the Central Coast, which is only 65 kilometers north of Sydney, as coastal communities braced for the worst. There, the shoreline was battered by waves strong enough to destroy buildings, leading emergency services to issue urgent warnings.
It had an instantaneous and extensive effect. More than 21,000 people in Sydney, the Central Coast, and the Hunter region were without power by 5 p.m. local time, according to energy provider Ausgrid.
NSW Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib said that circumstances will likely worsen overnight and into Wednesday, and he asked locals to be calm but watchful during a press conference.
Dib warned that “the situation is going to worsen over the course of the next 24 hours,” urging people to stay away from needless travel and to never drive over floodwaters.
Just before 5 p.m., the Bureau of Meteorology issued an updated severe weather warning, predicting heavy rainfall that might cause deadly flash floods. Authorities were especially worried about flooding that was predicted to start later Tuesday night in the Illawarra region, which is south of Sydney.
Residents along an 80-kilometer stretch of coastline south of the city, from Jervis Bay to Batemans Bay, were advised to stay indoors as winds increased stronger and the weather became more dangerous.
Deputy Commissioner Debbie Platz of the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) said that reports of fallen trees and property damage were already coming in from all over Sydney and the Central Coast. In response to the increasing volume of emergency calls, almost 1,000 SES volunteers have been sent out to help.
