Portal Bengkalis - (IANS) Thousands of residents have been ordered to evacuate their homes after rivers rose to their feet, causing heavy flooding in Sydney and heavy rains along Australia's east coast.
He said about 50,000 residents in New South Wales, most of them in the western suburbs of Sydney, had been warned to leave by 30,000 on Monday or face a restraining order.
New South Wales Prime Minister Dominic Perott told reporters the incident was not over. "Wherever you are, please be careful while driving on our roads. There is still a high risk of flooding."
After a week-long trip to Europe, Prime Minister Anthony Albanes, who returned to Australia on Tuesday, said he would visit the affected areas with Perott on Wednesday.
The federal government said the flood was a natural disaster and was helping flood-affected residents get emergency funding.
The latest wildfires that have caused a year-long rain in some areas in three days will make it easier for Sydney's coastal pool to move north on Tuesday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
But floods can last for weeks, as most river basins are close to normal even before the last flood. Some regions have received 800 mm (31.5 inches) of rain since Saturday, with an average annual rainfall of around 500 mm (20 inches) in Australia.
With more than six hours of rainfall over 90 mm (3.5 inches), the Boeum can be as low as 125 mm (5 inches) in some parts of the state's north coast, he said.
Winds of up to 90 kilometers per hour (56 miles per hour) are also forecast in flood-prone areas, which increase the risk of trees falling and power lines being exposed.
Emergency crews resumed rescue operations during a difficult sea battle on Tuesday, towing a shipwrecked ship off the coast of Sydney due to severe weather, officials said.
Extreme levels of flood danger were announced in the western part of Sydney on Friday, with the worst weather in the world reported this year.
Images of social media showing flooded roads and bridges rescued emergency workers from partially submerged vehicles.
Nigel Miron, a resident of Windsor, said he wanted to return to the area after the water receded, but he had prepared a boat that could be easily evacuated.
"What can you do at the end of the day? He is and we will take ourselves out of the ashes and we will rebuild after the flood is gone," Miron told ABC television.
"High economic impact"
Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmer warned of the economic impact of the floods.
Floods have flooded many food-producing regions, putting pressure on supply and inflation, and the family budget is rising with prices for fruits and vegetables, Chalmer said.
"There is no point in putting shoes around there ... Inflation in our economy will only get worse before it improves. There are many sources, but this (flood) will be one of them," Chalmers told Sky News.
The Australian Insurance Council, which declared the flood a 'major event', urged victims to report it, although the extent of the damage is not yet known.