More than 30,000 may need to flee Sydney amid intense flooding

More than 30,000 residents of Sydney and its surrounds have been told to evacuate or prepare to abandon their homes as Australia’s largest city braces for what could be its worst flooding in 18 months (Mark Baker/AP)

More than 30,000 residents of Sydney and its surrounds have been told to evacuate or prepare to abandon their homes as Australia’s largest city braces for what could be its worst flooding in 18 months.

Parts of the city of 5 million people are facing a fourth flooding emergency in a year-and-a-half after torrential rain since Friday caused dams to overflow and waterways to break their banks.