Southeast Australia is experiencing its worst flooding in 50 years. People are being asked to leave their homes and seek safety.
Melbourne (AP) – Thousands of people have been asked to leave their homes and get to safety because of severe flooding after heavy rains in south-east Australia. In the state of Victoria alone, around 500 houses were damaged by the floods, the broadcaster ABC reported, citing the emergency services. Another 500 buildings were enclosed by the water masses. In addition, thousands of households are without electricity.
In some places, the state is experiencing the worst flooding in around 50 years. Many residents should have been rescued by boats. Dozens of suburbs in the metropolis of Melbourne, Victoria’s capital, were also affected by the floods. There were also calls for evacuation due to severe flooding in the neighboring state of New South Wales and on the Australian island of Tasmania.
Retrospect and Prospect
Australia’s east coast has been hit by exceptionally heavy rain and flooding on several occasions this year. At the beginning of July, areas in the metropolis of Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, were flooded meters high, and in March there were severe floods around the metropolis and in large parts of the state as well as in Queensland.
A report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from February 2022 assumes that Australia will be hit by devastating natural events even more frequently in the future. Stronger heat, more dangerous fires, more droughts and floods, higher sea levels and drier winters are to be expected. dpa
