2022 New South Wales floods

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2022 New South Wales floods
Hunter valley flood.jpg
Flooding in Hunter Valley
Date3 July 2022 (2022-07-03) – 8 July 2022 (8 July 2022)
Location Central Coast and Sydney
Deaths1
Property damage>$379 million (2022 USD) [1]

Heavy flooding broke out in the Central Coast and Sydney areas of New South Wales, Australia, beginning in early July 2022. [2] [3] Around 85,000 people were displaced by the flooding or requested to leave their homes by authorities. [4] [5] The floods' damage was significant because rain fell on land that was already saturated after months of previous heavy rainfall. It was the third major flood in 2022 for some areas in the eastern seaboard. [6]

Contents

Impact

The LGAs that were declared a natural disaster were: Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Camden Council, Canterbury-Bankstown, Campbelltown, Central Coast, Cessnock, Fairfield, Georges River, Hawkesbury, Hornsby, Kiama, Lithgow, Northern Beaches, Penrith, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Sutherland, The Hills, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly and Wollongong, with Bayside, Dungog, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Singleton and Upper Lachlan being later included in the list as the scope of the disaster expanded. [7]

Sydney

On 3 July, after prolonged rainfall in the Sydney area and the wettest start to the year on record, the Hawkesbury River at Windsor peaked at 13.9 metres, the highest in decades. More than 150 evacuation orders and warnings were given in the area, in addition to over 140 rescues and 19,000 homes losing power. Warragamba dam also had a major spillage with 515 gigalitres of water flowing down its walls. [8] Some regions, such as Lansvale and Camden in Western Sydney experienced their worst flooding disasters in four decades, with floodwaters in Windsor reaching their highest point since 1978. Around 4,000 houses and businesses in the Hawkesbury region were out of power. [9]

Hundreds of homes were submerged in western Sydney, causing trouble for 50,000 people, with tens of thousands being displaced. [10] New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet urged people to "not be complacent" in the fourth flood emergency in 16 months. [11] [12] A cargo ship called The Portland Bay went missing for two days straight and was on the verge of shipwreck before it was finally rescued and eventually towed to Sydney. [4] [5] The total damage of the storms is still unclear. [13] At least one person, a male resident of Sydney, was killed by the floods. [14]

On 8 July, wooden and plastic debris, in addition to leaked oil containers, a spa and refrigerators were among the rubble drifting 100 kilometres down the Hawkesbury River, which turned up on beaches in Sydney's north, disrupting ferry services. [15]

Hunter Region

On 5 July, as the low moved north, residents of Broke, as well as 6,000 other people in the Hunter Region, were ordered to evacuate. [16] Wollombi, Bulga and Broke were cut off and isolated by the floodwaters. [17] The Hunter River in Singleton had peaked at 13.71m on 7 July, surpassing the flood levels of March 2022. [18]

Meteorology

Some areas of the Illawarra, near Wollongong, received more than 700 mm (27.56 in) in three days and others in Sydney received around eight months of rain in four days. [19] Camden, in Sydney's southwest, received 197.4 mm (7.77 in) of rain between July 2 and 3, with Sydney CBD accumulating 148.6 mm (5.85 in) over the span of four days. [20] The July flood event was the fourth major flood to strike Western Sydney in less than two years, with the weekend (July 2–3) receiving as much rainfall as Melbourne, Canberra or London generally receive in a year. The heaviest amount had fallen in Brogers Creek, where 933 mm (36.73 in) of rain fell in four days. [21] Taree recorded its wettest day on record, registering 305 mm (12.01 in) on the gauge from the 24 hours to 9am July 7, with records dating back to 1881. [22] [23]

Cause

The rain bomb was caused by a tropical moisture (or an atmospheric river) that arrived from northern Australia which interacted with a low pressure trough on the New South Wales coast and later became an east coast low. Global warming and the consequential ocean heating was a contributing factor to this event. [24]

Social media, such as TikTok, saw the rise of conspiracy theories claiming that the floods were caused by "weather manipulation" and "cloud seeding" to "weaponise the weather against its own people". [25] Conspiracy theorists shared a 2016 news story from Seven News which reported Tasmanian residents fearing that the state's worst floods in 40 years could have been linked to cloud seeding operated by Hydro Tasmania. However, these claims were quickly dismissed by experts. [26]

Aftermath

Disaster payments were made available from 6 July as the state declared natural disaster funding for 29 local government areas across Greater Sydney, the Hawkesbury, Hunter Valley, Central Coast and Illawarra. [7] [27] Prime minister Anthony Albanese and NSW premier Dominic Perrottet both visited flood-ravaged sites in northwest Sydney. [28] A study in 2021 initiated by the government stated that raising the Warragamba Dam wall was the best choice for minimising risk to life, property damage and cost. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taree</span> City in New South Wales, Australia

Taree is a city on the Mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia. It and nearby Cundletown were settled in 1831 by William Wynter. Since then it has grown to a population of 26,381, and commands a significant agricultural district. Situated on a floodplain by the Manning River, it is 16 km from the Tasman Sea coast, and 317 km north of Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forbes, New South Wales</span> Town in New South Wales, Australia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floods in the United States (2000–present)</span>

Floods in the United States (2000–present) is a list of flood events which were of significant impact to the country during the 21st century, since 2000. Floods are generally caused by excessive rainfall, excessive snowmelt, storm surge from hurricanes, and dam failure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floods in Australia</span>

Australia has had over 160,708 floods in the last 10 years, many of which have taken out homes, wildlife and many habitats.

The 2010 Victorian floods were a widespread series of flood events across the state of Victoria, Australia. The floods, which followed heavy rain across southeastern Australia in early September 2010, caused the inundation of about 250 homes, hundreds of evacuations and millions of dollars of damage. Weather warnings were initially issued for Victoria on Thursday 2 September and rain began to fall on the Friday, continuing through the weekend to Tuesday. Heavy rain fell in most regions of the state, particularly at higher altitudes in the state's west and northeast, flooding the upper reaches of many of Victoria's major rivers. A state of emergency was declared with State Emergency Service crews arriving from Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania. The floods proceeded an extensive drought period that had effected the entirety of Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010–2011 Queensland floods</span>

A series of floods hit Queensland, Australia, beginning in December 2010. The floods forced the evacuation of thousands of people from towns and cities. At least 90 towns and over 200,000 people were affected. Damage initially was estimated at A$1 billion before it was raised to $2.38 billion. The estimated reduction in Australia's GDP is about A$30 billion. As of March 2012, there were 33 deaths attributed to the floods, with a further three people still missing.

Australian rivers have been subject to devastating floods in New South Wales, recorded since colonisation. Flooding in New South Wales has predominately been caused by excessive flows into rivers located in New South Wales and, to a lesser extent, excessive flows into rivers located in Queensland and Victoria. Floods can devastate local communities and impact the entire local economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Gascoyne River flood</span> 2010 severe flood along the Gascoyne River in Western Australia

The 2010 Gascoyne River flood was regarded as the most severe flood to take place along the Gascoyne River in Western Australia on record. Triggered by record-breaking rainfall, amounting to over 6,000 percent of the monthly mean, 313.6 mm (12.35 in) and 5 mm (0.20 in) respectively, in just four days, the floods caused widespread damage in the region. By 17 December, the river began to rise in response to the heavy rains, eventually exceeding its banks within two days. Water levels reached record values at three stations along the river, cresting at 15.53 m (51.0 ft) near Fishy Pool. Evacuation orders were issued for several towns affected by rising waters. The most substantial impact was felt in Carnarvon where entire homes were washed away. Following the disaster, emergency supplies and funds were distributed to affected residents to aid them in restoring their livelihoods. Though no people died in the event, an estimated two thousand head of cattle perished and damage was estimated at A$100 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclone Oswald</span> Category 1 Australian region cyclone in 2013

Tropical Cyclone Oswald was a tropical cyclone that passed over parts of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia over a number of days, causing widespread impact including severe storms, flooding, and water spouts. Coastal regions of Queensland were the most impacted with Mundubbera, Eidsvold, Gayndah and Bundaberg in the Wide Bay–Burnett hit severely. In many places the rainfall total for January set new records. Across the affected region, damage from severe weather and flooding amounted to at least A$2.4 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian east coast low</span> An extratropical cyclone on the coast of southeastern Australia

Australian east coast lows are extratropical cyclones or low-pressure systems on the coast of southeastern Australia that may be caused by both mid-latitude and tropical influences over a variety of levels in the atmosphere. These storms should not be confused with Australian region tropical cyclones which typically affect the northern half of the continent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyclone Debbie</span> Category 4 Australian region cyclone in 2017

Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017 was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike Queensland since Marcia in 2015, and was the costliest tropical cyclone in Australia since Yasi in 2011. Forming as a tropical low on 23 March, the low gradually intensified into a named tropical cyclone on 25 March. After steadily strengthening offshore to a Category 4 system, Debbie eventually made landfall near Airlie Beach, at 12:40 AEST on 28 March. Afterwards, Debbie rapidly weakened into a tropical low by late 28 March, but continued to travel south, causing significant damage and flooding in the populous areas of South East Queensland and Northern Rivers. In total, the storm caused A$3.5 billion (US$2.67 billion) in damage and fourteen deaths across Australia, primarily as a result of extreme flooding. This makes Debbie the deadliest cyclone to hit Australia since Fifi in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black nor'easter</span> Type of storm occurring in southeastern Australia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Severe weather events in Sydney</span> Notable weather extremities in Sydney

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 eastern Australia floods</span> February-April 2022 disaster in New South Wales and Queensland

The 2022 eastern Australia floods were one of the nation's worst recorded flood disasters with a series of floods that occurred from late February to early May in South East Queensland, the Wide Bay–Burnett and parts of coastal New South Wales. Brisbane suffered major flooding, along with the cities of Maryborough, Gympie, the Sunshine Coast, Caboolture, Toowoomba, Gatton, Ipswich, Logan City, the Gold Coast, Murwillumbah, Mullumbimby, Grafton, Byron Bay, Ballina, Lismore, the Central Coast and parts of Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">July–August 2022 United States floods</span> Series of floods

Beginning on July 24, 2022, and lasting for a week, many flash flooding events hit several areas of the United States. These areas included parts of Missouri and Illinois, especially Greater St. Louis, Eastern Kentucky, Southwest Virginia, parts of West Virginia, and the Las Vegas Valley. Several rounds of severe thunderstorms began in Missouri on July 24, culminating during July 25 and 26, when St. Louis broke its previous 1915 record for the most rainfall in a span of 24 hours. Governor Mike Parson declared a state of emergency on July 26. Over one hundred people were rescued from floods, and two people were killed. Late on July 27 and into July 28, historic flooding began in central Appalachia, particularly in Kentucky, where a state of emergency was declared. A total of 38 people were killed in Kentucky as a direct result of flooding, with a 39th fatality occurring days later during cleanup efforts and a 40th coming in September during cleanup efforts in Pike County.

The 2022 south eastern Australia floods are a series of floods that have occurred in south-eastern Australia since October 2022. Some towns experienced the highest river peaks in decades, and many places saw rivers peak multiple times. The floods were attributed to excess torrential rain caused by La Niña and a negative Indian Ocean Dipole.

2022 was an extremely wet year for Australia, coming out of a back-to-back La Niña in the summer of 2021-22, a Negative Indian Ocean Dipole developing over the winter and a third back-to-back La Niña in the spring of 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "Q3 Global Catastrophe Recap" (PDF). Aon Benfield . Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  2. ↑ "Sydney floods: Tens of thousands told to evacuate". BBC News. 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "'It's still dangerous out there': Sydney weather warning as SES deals with 3,900 calls for help". ABC News. 3 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  4. 1 2 Jose, Renju (6 July 2022). "Thousands more evacuate homes in Sydney even as heavy rains ease". Reuters. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Australia flooding: Stranded cargo ship saved before 'environmental disaster'". The Independent. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  6. 1 2 "'How many times do we have to go through this?' How an atmospheric river hit Sydney". Sydney Morning Herald . 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  7. 1 2 "Residents in six additional LGA's can now claim flood recovery payments as disaster declared areas in NSW rises to 29". Sky News . 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  8. ↑ "Sydney flood levels could exceed recent records as NSW premier warns crisis 'far from over'". The Guardian. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  9. ↑ "Floodwaters in Windsor reach highest point since 1978". Nine News. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  10. ↑ "Tens of thousands displaced amid flooding emergency in Sydney". Seven News. 4 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  11. ↑ "Sydney floods burden 50,000 around Australia's largest city". ABC News. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  12. ↑ "Sydney is flooded, again, as climate crisis becomes new normal for Australia's most populous state". CNN . 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  13. ↑ Jose, Renju (6 July 2022). "Australia floods worsen as thousands more flee Sydney homes". Reuters. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  14. ↑ "Man dies after being pulled from river amid evacuation in devastating Sydney floods". The Independent. 4 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  15. ↑ "Sydney beaches covered in filthy debris after Hawkesbury River flooding". ABC news. 8 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  16. ↑ "Residents in Broke must evacuate NOW, warning for Singleton residents to be on alert". 2HD . 5 July 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  17. ↑ "Almost 30,000 returning to flood-hit homes, but emergency not over". Nine News. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  18. ↑ "Flood clean-up begins in Sydney as heavy rain moves out to sea". ABC News. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  19. ↑ "Australia floods: 50,000 on evacuation alert after deluge hits Sydney". BBC News . 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  20. ↑ "More rain expected as Sydney deals with major flooding". One News . 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  21. ↑ "Australia flood, boosted by climate change, making history in Sydney". The Guardian. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  22. ↑ "Daily Weather Observations: Taree, New South Wales". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  23. ↑ "Taree's wettest day on record with 305 mm".
  24. ↑ "Explaining the 'unusually extreme' rain and weather that caused Sydney's fourth major flood in two years". The Guardian. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  25. ↑ "Australia floods: Unfounded cloud seeding claims spread online". BBC News. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  26. ↑ "Hydro Tasmania denies cloud seeding contributed to devastating Ouse floods". ABC News . 10 June 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  27. ↑ "Heavy rain eases over Sydney as natural disaster declared for flooded NSW". ABC News. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  28. ↑ "Anthony Albanese faces first test leading during a natural disaster in flood-ravaged north-west Sydney". ABC News. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
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