Australia orders 200,000 to flee floods, city of Sydney spared

Major floods are still underway in some areas west of Sydney along the Hawkesbury River

The unpredictable storm front has crawled southwards along the east coast from Queensland to New South Wales, creating havoc as rivers and reservoirs broke their banks

Australia's emergency services Thursday ordered 200,000 people to flee from the path of a wild storm that has killed 13 people in a week of record-setting east coast floods, but the city of Sydney escaped the worst of the deluge.

New South Wales' emergency services said more than 70 evacuation orders were still in force across the state.