– This is bad – VG

The Australian state of New South Wales is in the midst of the worst flood disaster in decades. Natural disasters have been reported in 38 areas, with 18,000 people evacuated from their homes and roads and businesses flooded.

– The situation is developing, it is very dangerous. Prime Minister Scott Morrison tells locals it will be a tough week for hundreds of thousands of Australians Sydney Morning Herald.

Background: More than 18,000 evacuated: – Never seen rain like this

From a site on the outskirts of Blacktown outside Sydney, Barry Whatman runs a solid rescue operation, the state’s volunteer rescue service NSW SES. One of their main tasks is to help evacuate flood victims.

– We have frequent floods, but the state has not seen anything like this since the 60s. It’s bad, but it’s very bad, says Whatman – who has been in the rescue service for 43 years.

From the site, he manages about 140 volunteers, many of whom are specially trained in carrying out rescue operations on the water. Since Thursday, there has been 24 hours of light. While some teams are out with RIP boats, vets and stripes, the rest sleep on camp beds on campus. Then they change roles – over and over again.

– I worry they will run out. They need to rest and I will call them back if they have been out for a long time. Wademan, who works daily, says 10-12 hours is enough, depending on how physically needed the tasks are By state court police.

The storm is moving south

While visiting the VG site on Monday night local time, it was still raining heavily. Nevertheless, state officials have announced that some of the evicted residents may return home to inspect the damage.

In other areas, such as Windsor, half an hour away, the danger is far away. Australia’s state meteorologists described the next 24 to 36 hours as a ‘POM’. It has also been reported that many nearby areas will have to be evacuated.

The agency estimates that a total of ten million people in several states are now affected by the storm in one way or another.

Heavy rain is now moving south along the state coast, To an area severely affected by last year’s wildfires. Residents in several places south of Sydney have been warned of 200 to 300 millimeters of rain over the next few days.

A total of 125 flood evacuations took place in the state of New South Wales from midnight on Sunday to midnight on Monday, 70 of which were in the area around Sydney. The Sydney Morning Herald writes.

– How do you expect to be here for the next 24 hours?

– Whatman’s right hand at the foot of Blacktown John Kide says it depends on the rain.

– Tomorrow we will get another clue as to how long it will last.

View rescue teams’ own photos here:

– There was a cat in a shopping bag

Arrangements for the worst must be made anyway. Outside the parking lot there are several boats from the Marine Rescue, the salt water rescue service, which were taken here Exit alerts Runs.

In a room above the garage, Tony Featherstone demonstrates setting up security lines for a group of new volunteers. He has been out of the water every day since Thursday and will be out again at night until Tuesday.

“Using these lines, we can use the currents in the water for our benefit so that we can cross the river without using energy,” he says, adding that even water that appears calm may have forces hidden beneath the surface.

– This is the property where the water ran the fastest this weekend. We could not go home and check properly. We came as close as we could to the boat and yelled and yelled, he says.

– Was there anyone?

– We don’t know. We finally had to make a decision to leave. But it is difficult.

Featherstone has specialized training in rescuing people in the water, and has gone door-to-door over the weekend to test whether people need help.

– We helped after three adults, two dogs, a cat and a bird called us from a house last night and told us the water was high.

The rescue operation took place in the Berkshire Park area, about 10 miles from the site in Blacktown.

– What can go wrong during such work?

– Oh, there’s a lot, especially if you get used to animals. They can be panicked and unpredictable. They can go aboard, for example. Luckily last night it went well. They had a cat in a shopping bag and a bird in a cage. The dog was a little panicked, but the owners made sure it went well.

Another challenge for rescue workers is the small group of people who do not want to leave because they think they are in control or because they want to protect their own property.

– Then we come back and save them is very dangerous. This is a difficult decision. We say if people don’t want to go out: if it’s too dangerous, Featherstone says we may not be able to come back.