Heavy rains and storms have caused massive flooding in Australia. The death toll from the week-long storm has risen to twenty.
Update from Tuesday, March 8th, 2022, 11:00 a.m.: After being spared from the storms that have been on the east coast of Australia for a week, the metropolis of Sydney has now also been hit hard. Two people were killed in the flood, the police said on Tuesday (March 8th, 2022). So far, the situation is not expected to ease: Due to further severe weather warnings, the authorities have again called on tens of thousands of people to leave their homes and get to safety.
Meanwhile, there is no all-clear: the next 48 hours could be “difficult”, warned the Australian Weather Service. Massive flooding threatened. Around 60,000 people were asked to leave their homes. A tidal wave alert was also issued for an approximately 2,000-kilometer-long stretch of coast in the state of New South Wales.
The storm destroyed bridges in Sydney, damaged countless houses, washed away cars and even ripped off the roof of a supermarket. A man and a woman were washed away in their car by masses of water, Sydney police said. They could only be recovered dead. The number of deaths in the storms and rainfall that have been raging on the east coast of the country for a week has risen to 20.
Australia: 200,000 people evacuated due to extreme flooding
Update from Thursday, March 3rd, 2022, 11.30 a.m .: After the devastating rains in eastern Australia, large parts of the country are still under water. The storm situation is not over yet. New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet warned Thursday: “Things will get worse before things get better”. Authorities have urged 200,000 people to evacuate their homes and seek safety as a storm approaches the city of Sydney.
The meteorologists lifted further warnings of torrential rain around Sydney in the afternoon (local time). Clean-up work was going on everywhere.
At least 13 people have died in the historic flooding so far, ten in Queensland and three in New South Wales. The extreme weather was triggered by a slow-moving low-pressure area. In some areas it had rained as much in a few days as it normally does in a whole year.
Historic floods in Australia: death toll rises
Update from Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022, 9:15 a.m .: After devastating floods in eastern Australia, two more people died. The two fatalities were confirmed on Wednesday in the particularly affected town of Lismore, the Australian broadcaster ABC reported, citing the authorities. Three people have now died in the state of News South Wales. According to the police, another victim was also recovered in neighboring Queensland. Ten people have died here so far, as reported by the German Press Agency.
In view of the dramatic situation in many areas, the authorities expect further deaths. “Realistically, we know we may see more deaths in the coming days,” said New South Wales Deputy Premier Paul Toole. “This is a catastrophic event.”
After visiting the city of Ipswich, Queensland Regional Prime Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said the situation was “indescribable”. It will take a long time to rebuild the region. The people are inconsolable. Many are crying and don’t know what to do next.
There was still no all-clear: meteorologists predicted further heavy rain with possible flooding, especially for the region around Australia’s largest city Sydney and for the south-east of Queensland. The Queensland Weather Service warned of “large to gigantic hail” and “possibly destructive gusts of wind” on Twitter.
Heavy rain and flooding in Australia: No all-clear yet
First report from March 1st, 2022: Sydney/Brisbane – Massive flooding in Australia killed two more people. According to official information, at least ten people have died in two states since the heavy rains began last Wednesday (February 23, 2022).
In Queensland, a 76-year-old was washed away in his car and has now been recovered dead by the emergency services, the Australian broadcaster ABC reported on Tuesday (03/01/2022). In the particularly badly affected town of Lismore in New South Wales, an elderly woman drowned in her flooded house – she is the first fatality in the state.
Extreme weather in Australia: emergency services work tirelessly
The emergency services worked tirelessly on Tuesday (March 1st, 2022) to rescue people in need from the roofs of their houses with helicopters and boats. 300,000 people in the state of New South Wales should get ready to be brought to safety at short notice if necessary, said Steph Cooke, the regional secretary for emergency services. She asked those affected: “Please pack a bag and your mobile phone and charger”.
The trigger for the extreme weather is a low-pressure area that is only moving slowly. This is now moving from north to south. Meteorologists warned that the metropolis of Sydney and the south coast of New South Wales should be prepared for “heavy to torrential rain”. Floods had recently occurred in Sydney, the largest city Down Under – according to experts, it was the wettest summer in the metropolis in 30 years.
Floods in Australia: weather service reports more storms
“The Weather Service and other authorities are reporting more storms and more flooding expected throughout the week,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. The town of Lismore was hit the hardest. “They were always used to floods there, but they have never experienced anything like this in their lives.” The media spoke of a “historic disaster” in the entire state. Whole towns were “swallowed” by the water masses. In many houses the brown water rose up to the ceiling.
In the state of Queensland, meanwhile, the clean-up work was in full swing. The metropolis of Brisbane and the cities of Gympie and Maryborough as well as areas along the Sunshine Coast were also affected by flooding. In some areas it had rained as much in a few days as it normally does in a whole year. At Gympie, the water reached the height of utility poles: photos showed a quad bike hanging high off a power line after the floods receded. (sne/svw with dpa)
Rubriklistenbild: © Dan Himbrechts/Imago
