Brisbane (CNN)On sunny days, locals board a boat up the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales. Arriving and eating on the back deck. Of the paradise cafe.
However, the owner of the cafe, Darren Osmotherley, tried to move the equipment to a higher ground for the first time in 18 months after a flood crossed Great Sydney after many days of heavy rain. I'm in a hurry.
"Every 6 to 8 hours (we) take a hot shower and change clothes again to get a coffee break room or a short sleep in between," Osmotherley said. I barely slept for 3 days.
Lower Portland real estate hasn't been flooded for 30 years when Osmotherley opened a cafe on a houseboat 15 years ago to provide an easy place for people with disabilities to have lunch. .. However, this is the fourth flood since February last year and the latest flood since March.
"We sometimes built to prevent all floods to deal with floods, but we did have four floods," he said.
Floods in Australia's most populous states have become a new norm as residents of the Greater Sydney region fight increasingly volatile seasonal fluctuations.
With 8.12 million people, or about one-third of the country's total population, the region has consistently experienced some flooding during the early summer months{22. }
However, what used to be a once-in-a-generation event has become commonplace, raising questions about the long-term sustainability of flood-prone communities.
Over the past 48 hours, parts of eastern New South Wales have been raining more than 0.5 meters (1.6 feet), and flood warnings have been issued throughout the region due to spills from numerous dams. I am.
In western Sydney, Australia's largest urban reservoir, the Waragambadam, began to flood at 2 am on Sunday, with 515 gigaliters flooding the walls at peak times. This is the same amount of water that is in Sydney Harbor. ..
A spokesman for the State Water Department said that the dam does not have a flood mitigation component, so water is released before the heavy rains that occur when the state's dam network is already 97% full. It states that it did not. He said the dam was not due to the flood.
"This is a very unusual weather event. Warragamba does flow into certain river systems, but the entire vast area of Sydney is flooded, not downstream of Warragamba." The spokesman said.
After years of drought, it's an amazing turnaround from just 15 years ago when the state decided to build a desalination plant to protect Sydney's water supply.
But this year the La Niña meteorological system produces more rainfall, and the Bureau of Meteorology says there is a 50-50 chance of its formation in late 2022-twice the normal. possibility. The climate crisis is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of both La Niña and El Nino, causing drought. This means that if La Niña is re-formed this year, it could rain even more.
Thousands have been urged to evacuate
Floods have become a recurring nightmare for locals in Greater Sydney.
Many people are still recovering from the last flood in March, flooding in many parts of the same area, companies releasing shutters, rescuers to help trapped residents. I was forced to go through the rotten mud.
According to the Australian Insurance Council, the event cost $ 4.8 billion, making it the third most expensive disaster to date.
It rained hundreds of millimeters over the weekend, and even more, New South Wales State Emergency Services (SES) Commissioner Carlene York warned on Monday.
"We haven't been at risk for this critical weather event yet," York said. "I remind people to make wise decisions to keep you and your family safe."
More than 70 evacuation orders were issued to the wider area of Sydney on Monday. More than 30,000 people were targeted and millions of people were advised to stay home a few days after school holidays, where many families travel.
"Avoid important trips. If you need to travel, expect delays as many roads are cut and many detours are in place. Please, "says York.
Bureau of Meteorology Jane Golding said it rained more in some parts of Sydney than in July as a whole.
"The number is comparable to March (rainfall). The difference at this event is that the rain was piled up over several days, which is how the river reacts. Increases the risk of, "she said.
In addition to heavy rains, winds of up to 100 km (62 miles) per hour on land, strong winds off the coast alert and waves up to 5 m (16 feet). ..
Due to a dangerous situation, authorities are trying to rescue 21 crew members trapped in Portland Bay, a Hong Kong-registered cargo ship stuck unpowered on the coast of New South Wales. I had to give up. Instead, state police said a tugboat was dispatched to further tow the ship to the sea where the Australian Maritime Safety Authority was trying to regain its power.
Australia's Climate Crisis
"All recent leaders have shown that they are welcoming the change in Australia's position," Albanige said on Friday after meeting with OECD leaders in Paris. Told to.
Australia is now officially signing to reduce emissions by 43% at 2005 levels by 2030, but after decades of inaction by the previous government There is much more to do.
Former Fire Director Greg Marines&Rescue NSW, leader of the Emergency Leaders for Climate Action (ELCA) group, said last month that the catchment area was saturated and the dam was full. , To prepare for floods.
In a six-point plan presented to the government, the group is "short-sighted and persistent" that Australia spends more on disaster response and recovery than measures to reduce risk. It's impossible. "
According to an analysis released by the Australian Conservation Foundation before the elections, federal budget spending on environmental and climate programs has fallen by nearly a third under the previous coalition government.
Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie states that Australia is "unprepared" for climate disasters and needs to spend more on building resilience in the most vulnerable areas.
"Only a small portion of disaster spending is spent on preparedness and resilience building. Given the increased risk of climate change, this ratio has changed significantly and further prepared. The emphasis is expected to be on disasters. "
New South Wales has its own climate change fund, a program to increase the resilience of the community to more than A $ 224 million ($ 153 million) in 2020-21. Spent on. Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley, the state's most vulnerable to floods.
This includes Osmotherley, the owner of the cafe. Osmotherley said authorities could do more to mitigate the risk of flooding by better managing the dam so that it does not overflow and send more water to already flooded areas. increase. He plans to bring together local groups to better understand how the dam works.
But now there is a more pressing problem.
According to Osmotherley, about 100 people are trapped in their homes along a 10 km (6.2 mile) road near the cafe. This includes an 80-year-old man waiting for his luggage in bulk. In his caravan for help in escape.
So far, Osmotherley has stated that there are no local rescue teams in the area and will take the old man home and put him to sleep at home.
"There is no road access here at this time," he said. "I have a rescue boat that can get people in and out, but I have almost nowhere to go."