Emergency services have issued urgent evacuation orders for parts of Sydney's northern beaches as a severe summer storm system batters Australia's east coast, resulting in one confirmed fatality and widespread damage.
Emergency Warnings and Evacuations
On Sunday morning, an emergency warning was activated for residents around Narrabeen Lagoon and surrounding areas on Sydney's northern beaches. Authorities instructed people to leave immediately due to dangerous flooding. More than a dozen individuals have been rescued across Sydney after vehicles became submerged and water inundated homes.
The situation turned critical at Great Mackerel Beach, also within the northern beaches region, where a significant landslide damaged multiple properties. At least one woman sustained injuries in the incident, requiring medical attention.
Fatalities and Widespread Calls for Help
The storm system turned deadly on Saturday. A woman lost her life after a large tree branch fell onto her car amidst the intense weather conditions. The State Emergency Service (SES) has been inundated with calls for assistance, receiving more than 800 requests for help after torrential rain lashed the state of New South Wales.
Senior meteorologist Edward Townsend-Medlock warned that the severe weather was not over. He forecast further heavy rainfall from Sydney's northern suburbs through to the Hunter coast on Sunday. "Within that concentrated area is where you could get some of those more severe thunderstorm cells that we saw, for example, on the Central Coast," he stated.
Ongoing Risks and Community Impact
The series of summer storms has caused significant disruption, with key impacts including:
- Mandatory evacuation orders for flood-prone communities.
- Major property damage from both flooding and landslides.
- Dangerous conditions on roads, with numerous vehicles stranded.
- A stretched emergency response system dealing with hundreds of incidents.
Residents in affected areas are urged to follow official advice from the SES, avoid floodwaters, and prepare to move to higher ground if instructed. The community is facing a serious clean-up operation once the immediate weather threat passes.
