Thousands evacuated from Australia’s Sydney amid heavy rains, floods

Thousands of residents in Sydney suburbs were told to evacuate their homes on Sunday after heavy rains caused floodwaters to rise and rivers to overflow in what authorities called life-threatening emergencies.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for heavy rain and flash floods and winds of up to 90 kilometers (55 miles) per hour along the coast of Australia’s most populous city and other parts of New South Wales state.

Authorities said that Warragamba Dam in…