Deadly Storm Hits Sydney & Towns To Its North "Like A Quake" - AFP

[hatrack]

Rescue workers urged thousands of people to evacuate their homes Sunday after deadly storms lashed Australia's east coast, leaving parts of one city looking like an earthquake had struck, officials said.

After days of torrential rains, flood waters surged into areas north of Sydney, isolating towns, swamping farms, homes and businesses and causing millions of dollars in damage.

The death toll rose to nine when police found the body of a man who died after he was swept into a storm water drain on a flooded road. Authorities earlier found the body of a man who died when his car was swept off a highway into a swollen creek. His wife and three young children, aged two, three and nine, who were travelling with him, also died when the road collapsed underneath them, but their bodies had been found earlier.

Although bringing much-needed rain to Sydney and towns to its north, the storms have wreaked havoc since slamming into the city and the Central Coast and Newcastle to the north on Friday.

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/2007/070610114017.krvvkrbs.html

[Kajsa]

1. It's been feast or famine for the

rain fall in some areas.

That's awful to hear of the destruction in Sydney
and surrounding areas.

First Florida got drenched after a long dry spell,
and now Australia.

Somehow, I don't think bone dry SoCal is going to see
any rain until late next Fall.

Our weather patterns are very unusual, to say the least.

[XemaSab]

3. You never know about Socal

Norcal got some rain earlier in the week (which was freakish) and we had some clouds today. :shrug:

[kestrel91316]

4. We in SoCal don't expect any rain until at least Dec, and even then

it may not happen.

[phantom power]

2. Sounds like the kind of weather I'd expect in summer, not winter.

At least, here in the States.

[depakid]

5. Newcastle had never really been flooded like that before

There was a even a guy riding a jetski on one of the city streets in Merewether, my GF's hometown.

We've been keeping up on the situation via ABC:

http://www.abc.net.au/newcastle/

There's also a coal freighter that's run aground- not sure what they're going to do about that one.