Sydney and other cities in Australia were struck by a major 3-day storm that brought heavy flood waters and powerful cyclone-like winds on shore, leaving many residents without electricity.
The Hunter and Central Coast regions were the hardest hit, with losses totaling in the millions of dollars by Wednesday morning, wrote Jenni Ryall of
Mashable.
"The cities of Sydney and Newcastle have barely been functioning, as major roads are flooded, power is out and trees are strewn across suburbs," said Ryall. "Torrential rain and cyclonic winds – with gusts up to 150 (kilometers per hour) in some areas – have been consistent since Monday, causing grief for residents."
The Australian reported that an 86-year-old woman died at Wallis Creek, outside Maitland in Hunter Valley, when she was swept away by flood waters. It was believed the woman had been driving in a convoy of cars across a flooded section of road when a vehicle stalled in front of her and she tried to drive around it.
Three people were killed in the town of Dungog when their homes were washed out. Colin Webb, 79; Brian Wilson, 72, and Robin MacDonald, 68, were all believed to have been trapped in their residences, emergency personnel told The Australian.
Webb and Wilson were trapped in retirement homes while MacDonald refused to leave her pets.
"With the storm easing, we're beyond that and what's going to be the key focus is getting our communities back on their feet," said New South Wales Premier Mike Baird. "To give you a sense of the size and scope – in Dungog there's more rain that has come down in the last 24 hours than they have seen in a 24-hour period for the past century."
Baird said at a news conference that natural disaster declarations would be finalized within the next 24 hours,
according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
"Obviously the next stage that we want to focus on is the recovery but we do need to get through these 24 hours so the focus is to get through the weather and then the recovery effort will get underway," said Baird.
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