SYDNEY – Heavy rainfall was forecast to ease across Australia’s east coast but floodwaters will linger for days across New South Wales state where 15,000 people were nervously waiting on Tuesday for potential orders to evacuate.
Some 18,000 residents of Australia’s most populous state have fled their homes since last week, with warnings the cleanup could stretch into April.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Tuesday said several weather fronts continued to effect large swaths of the state.
Some parts of the state had recorded two-thirds of their annual rainfall in less than a week. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the rain emergency was expected to ease by late Wednesday, but the “floodwaters remain persistent for some time.” “