Torrential rains force thousands to evacuate in Sydney

Heavy rains have been battering Sydney since Thursday, causing the worst flooding in 60 years.

Rivers across New South Wales are swollen, and on Saturday, a major dam overflowed. Thousands of people have been evacuated from low-lying areas, and the flooding has swept away some houses. Sunday was Sydney's wettest day of the year, with 4.4 inches of rain recorded, and the downpour is expected to continue until Wednesday.

"We need to brace ourselves," New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned on Monday. "It will be a very difficult week." Last year, the same region was dealing with devastating brush fires, and Berejiklian said she doesn't know of "any time in a state history where we have had these extreme weather conditions in such quick succession in the middle of a pandemic."

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