Flooding in Australia: the country’s east coast is in emergency

Heavy rain falls in late summer and early autumn The Australians The east coast is not uncommon. Regular hot days end with torrential rains. But what is currently happening in a section of about 900 km in the east of the country presents unprecedented challenges for rescue workers.

Days of torrential rain have led to the worst floods in decades and the evacuation of entire towns. Authorities classified the situation in parts of New South Wales on Sunday as a natural disaster and people fled their homes to safety at night.

“Unfortunately, parts of the coast in the north-central are experiencing a situation that only exists once every 100 years,” the head of the most populous Australian state government, Gladys Bergiklian, said in a press conference.

The rains have not stopped in large parts of the eastern coast since Thursday. Significantly more rain is expected, according to forecasts, and a downturn can only be expected from Wednesday.

Photos and videos showed how crowds of water drove cars, livestock, and even the entire house. The water was higher than the door frame. Everything swept away. “They have nothing left, everything is destroyed,” a man told the Sydney Morning Herald of his parents’ house at Telegraph Point.

And the media, quoting the authorities, reported that more than 750 people had been saved from the floods. However, no deaths have been reported so far. The storm uprooted trees, damaged homes and streets, and led to power outages in some places. A prison in Penrith, near Sydney, was also evacuated.

Hundreds of schools in the state are said to be closed on Mondays. Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison He talked about the “flood of the century” and promised to provide aid to the stricken areas.

The Meteorological Authority issued a warning about severe weather in large parts of the eastern coast due to the continuing heavy rains and gusty winds. Remote areas of western Sydney were also affected: water masses poured over the dam that secures the water supply to the capital. In Mundrock municipality, 200 km north, an entire house has been lifted from its foundations due to flooding and washed away, as shown by TV images.

Since flooded rivers must take longer for flooding to dry up even after the rains have ended, disaster control in the state anticipates operations “even after Easter”. This year, Easter falls on April 4th.