The torrential rains that have hit New South Wales for weeks this July have resulted in disastrous floods here in Sydney in particular.
Most of Sydney's streets were closed because they were flooded and people (not evacuated) were asked to remain home and not use their cars.
The damages are estimated to be billions of Australian dollars and they include massive losses to agriculture, buildings and infrastructures.
In Sydney (Australia’s largest city) thousands of inhabitants from several neighbourhoods were ordered to leave their homes due to the floodings.
Already back in March, heavy rains had devastated the city, killing a dozen people and this July the situation got even worse.

Due to thunderstorms in the last few weeks, the dam in South-West Sydney began to overflow even before the authorities could have people leave the area.
One of the most affected suburbs of the city was that of Camden, where rescuers had to save many people.
New South Wales State declared the State of Emergency and many people had to be rescued by helicopter from their homes, the beaches, the woods.
The storms uprooted trees, throwing boats on land and causing damage and flooding everywhere.
I am lucky to live in an area which was not affected but…for how long?
The global effects of climate change are greatly affecting Australia and the weather is becoming unpredictable and scary.
I have noticed this change with my own eyes and since I have moved here I have seen the weather modifying with increasing floodings alternated with droughts and wildfires.
The Australian Government is providing assistance to flood-affected communities and will continue to work with the New South Wales Government to support affected citizens.
The Australian city has also decided to mobilize its resources to reduce emissions and take action against climate change.
The climate crisis is worsening much faster than expected and the time to intervene is less and less. We are in a state of serious emergency, but many nations prefer to continue burying their heads in the sand. Yet something is finally moving and also Sydney joined the many countries and cities which have listed themselves to fight against polluting agents, making plans to reduce emissions.


The plans are to mobilize the city's resources to reduce CO2 emissions and minimize environmental impact. The declaration has a high symbolic value, but, above all, it presupposes the adoption of concrete measures to stem the environmental emergency.
Sydney plans to cut carbon emissions and to reach the 70% emission reduction target by 2024.
For Australia, addressing global warming immediately is a necessity. In fact, through the years the country has had to cope with extraordinarily high temperatures, many degrees above average, which have led to fires and drought.
The effects of climate change will also cause serious economic damage in Australia. Some models predict losses of billions a year, caused by the impact of rising sea levels and the collapse of agricultural production following increasingly prolonged periods of drought.
The Australian continent is very large and, although the floods are extensive, they are in fact confined to a relatively small part of the country.
Some tourist destinations in Australia, including Melbourne and Uluru, are unaffected by these climatic phenomena this time around but, as I mentioned earlier, no place is immune to climate changes.
Normally Sydney, being in the Southeast area, has slightly cooler temperatures in the summer and colder during the winter.
The months of July and August are the coldest, while January usually records the warmest temperatures of the year.