At least one person has died in heavy rains in eastern Australia. The head of government of the state of Queensland speaks of a “tragedy”.
Brisbane – In the east of Australia there has been massive rainfall within a few hours. At least one person died. Ten others were still missing after flash floods caused by the rains on Wednesday (February 23, 2022), local media reported, citing the police.
The dead man was an elderly woman who drowned in her car on the Sunshine Coast, the news.com.au portal reported, citing the authorities. The state’s head of government, Annastacia Palaszczuk, spoke in parliament of a “tragedy”. Almost half a meter of rain fell in some parts of Queensland in 24 hours. As a result, there were numerous road closures and traffic chaos.
Heavy rains in eastern Australia: Hundreds of calls for help – dams overloaded
The emergency services received more than a hundred calls for help. Dozens of residents stuck in the floods had to be rescued. A freight train overturned near the town of Gympie due to the storm. The train driver was reportedly only slightly injured. A resident of Cooroy told local media the rain felt like “standing under the roaring Niagara Falls.”
15 dams in Queensland are already overloaded by the water masses, and more rain is expected in the coming days. “Some areas could experience up to a meter of rain over the next few days, which is a significant amount of rainfall for southeast Queensland,” a Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) meteorologist told ABC News.
The police have already issued warnings. Accordingly, people should be prepared for road closures and power outages, reports the news portal. “If there’s no reason to go out onto the street, I’m advising people not to be there,” Constable Craig Hawkins told ABC.
Flash floods in Australia: Heavy rains in the state of Queensland
Heavy rain fell not only in Queensland, but also in the state of New South Wales. Parts of Sydney were also briefly under water on Tuesday. After several years of drought and climate-related bush fires, eastern Australia* is currently experiencing an exceptionally wet summer due to the La Niña weather phenomenon. (svw with material from AFP/dpa) *fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
