The Bureau of Meteorology reported flood levels crossing a record 2013 flood along the Hastings River outside Port Macquarie, about 400 kilometers north of Sydney.
Officials said mass evacuations were ordered in low-lying areas along Australia’s east coast on 20 March as flooding in an area from an already unusually wet summer was “potentially” life-threatening.
Police said hundreds of people turned to evacuation centers in areas north of Sydney in the state of New South Wales and expected many more to search for shelter as rain moved south from the coast.
The Bureau of Meteorology reported flood levels crossing a record 2013 flood along the Hastings River outside Port Macquarie, about 400 kilometers north of Sydney.
The bureau said that cities in the region have already seen record rainfall of more than 300 mm since the morning of Morch 19.
It warned that heavy rains were forecast to continue until March 20 “with potentially life-threatening flooding”.
Floods and extreme weather warnings spread from Port Macquarie to areas 500 kilometers south of Sydney, where residents were urged to stay indoors due to flash flooding risk.
Emergency services reported receiving more than 500 calls for help and did some 180 flood rescue operations overnight north of the affected area.
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