Sydney floods force thousands more to flee

Images of flooding in Shanes Park, a suburb in Sydney on Tuesday. The flooding follows torrential east coast rains which have prompted evacuations. IMAGES

Rain-swollen rivers spilled mud-brown waters across swathes of Sydney, swamping homes and roads while forcing thousands to flee

Rain-swollen rivers spilled mud-brown waters across swathes of Sydney on Tuesday, swamping homes and roads while forcing thousands to flee.

Emergency services have now instructed about 50,000 people to evacuate or to prepare to escape the rising waters in New South Wales, officials said.

The floods, heavy rain and powerful winds led to power cuts for 19,000 homes, officials said.

Higher temperatures mean the atmosphere holds more moisture, unleashing more rain.

"It's risky out there."

The federal government has declared a natural disaster in 23 flooded parts of New South Wales, unlocking relief payments to stricken residents.

With much of the ground already sodden, the water rose fast in worst-hit areas and was soon lapping around the walls of some homes in the western Sydney suburbs.

"It is so fast, you can't even get out that quick, you can't even move anything," resident Jenny Lee said after parts of her western Sydney suburb of Shanes Park were engulfed overnight.

In the western suburb of Windsor, resident Tyler Cassel fled his rental home with his partner by paddling through the water in a yellow canoe.

"It rose real quick, quicker than usual," he told national broadcaster ABC.

Much of the flooding has occurred in a major river system downstream of western Sydney's Warragamba Dam, which has been forced to spill large volumes of excess water since Sunday.

New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet urged people to heed orders to evacuate.

"Those orders ensure that we get people out safely," Perrottet said.

The rain has eased in some Sydney areas but flood warnings will likely persist for days, warned Jane Golding of the state's bureau of meteorology.

...