Sydney, Mar. 1, (dpa/GNA) – A flooding emergency in Australia’s east continued on Tuesday as rescue crews scrambled to reach stranded people by boat and helicopter.
According to Australian authorities, at least 10 people have been killed in two states.
In Queensland, a 76-year-old man was washed away in his car and his body has now been recovered by emergency services, the broadcaster ABC reported on Tuesday.
In the hard-hit town of Lismore in New South Wales, an elderly woman drowned in her flooded home – the first fatality in the state.
Emergency services continued to work tirelessly to rescue people in distress from their rooftops using helicopters and boats.
Some 300,000 people in New South Wales should be prepared to be brought to safety at short notice if necessary, said Steph Cooke, the regional minister for emergency services.
She urged those affected to “please pack a bag and your mobile phone and charger.”
Images from the hardest-hit areas showed waters that have almost entirely covered buildings, and residents sheltering on their roofs waiting to be rescued.
The towns of Gympie in Queensland and Lismore in New South Wales are among the most severely affected areas.
The extreme weather was triggered by a slow-moving low-pressure system.
Forecasts showed it is expected to move south on Tuesday, with Sydney and the southern coast warned to prepare for heavy to torrential rain and possible major flooding.
Sydney has already experienced days of rain. Meteorologists have called this summer the city’s wettest in 30 years.
Some 300,000 people in New South Wales should prepare for a potential need to evacuate, state emergency minister Steph Cooke said.
Australia is particularly affected by climate change. In mid-January, large parts of the country were still sweltering under a merciless heatwave, with temperatures of more than 50 degrees recorded in the west of the country.
GNA