Residents Isolated in Eastern Australia Following Sudden Flooding

In eastern Australia, fast-moving floodwaters have surged, inundating homes and leaving residents stranded on their rooftops overnight. Authorities are warning that more rain is on the horizon.

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Recent storms have unleashed over four months’ worth of rain in just two days across parts of New South Wales, engulfing homes, businesses, and roads in muddy waters. As the state’s emergency minister, Jihad Dib, explained, “We have a situation where the rain has been falling quite heavily and hard and it has not been moving away. Part of that is because the ground is saturated and the rivers are swollen.”

Taree, located approximately 300 kilometers north of Sydney, is a significant focus for emergency services. The town has experienced an astonishing 415mm of rain since Monday—more than four times its average monthly rainfall for May.

As a result of the rising floodwaters, many residents have found themselves stuck on their roofs, with rescuers hindered by the severe weather conditions. Taree resident Holly Pillotto, who was among those stranded, expressed her desperation for help, stating, “Our neighbours on the back verandah here are also stranded. It’s a really dangerous spot to be.”

In an effort to address the crisis, Minister Dib emphasized that emergency services were “throwing everything we have into” reaching those in need. State Emergency Service Chief Superintendent Dallas Byrnes described the situation as “incredibly dynamic and escalating,” noting that over 150 flood rescues were conducted overnight. “We’ve got a lot of people getting rescued from rooftops and from upper levels of houses,” he shared with ABC. However, he cautioned that “conditions are quite treacherous and it may be that those aviation assets are unable to fly throughout the day.”

Approximately 16,000 individuals, equating to about 7,400 homes, are expected to remain isolated until at least tomorrow. With heavy rain anticipated in the next 48 hours, some areas might receive an additional 200mm before conditions start to improve.

Experts have been increasingly vocal about the rising frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, as global temperatures continue to climb due to climate change.

Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International – Monitoring.

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