SYDNEY, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Millions of residents of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) were on Wednesday told to prepare for possible flooding as a severe wet weather system hits the country's east coast.
Authorities in NSW on Wednesday issued heavy rainfall warnings for communities along almost 1,000 km of the state's coastline, including Sydney.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said that the significant rain event driven by three separate weather systems was expected to bring isolated rainfall totals of up to 75 millimeters on Wednesday night, followed by up to 120 millimeters on Thursday and another 60 millimeters on Friday.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, NSW State Emergency Service Deputy Commissioner Debbie Platz said that some communities that have been hit by heavy rainfall in recent months could experience flooding overnight.
She said that water from previous severe rainfall events made flooding more likely and warned residents that complacency is a risk.
"This year we have seen significant weather events, significant flooding and a lot of damage. We know the community is tired and volunteers are tired," Platz said.
Regions north of Sydney experienced record-breaking flooding in May that caused five deaths.
Steve Bernasconi, a hazard preparedness manager at the BoM, said on Wednesday that the current event was not expected to bring enough rain to prompt a severe weather warning, but that it could cause isolated major flooding due to some water catchments already being at capacity. ■
