Heavy rains have caused massive flooding in Australia. At least ten people have died.
SYDNEY/BRISBANE – Massive flooding in Australia has killed two more people. According to official information, at least ten people in two states have died 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 level of utility poles: photos showed a quad bike hanging high off a power line after the floodwaters receded. (sne/dpa)
