Australia
Dramatic scenes: Residents rescued from floods after record rainfall
STORY: The weekend’s record-breaking rains were too much for the Wyangala Dam in New South Wales. The state in south-eastern Australia is once again suffering from severe flooding. West of the metropolis of Sydney, more than 120 millimeters of rain fell within 24 hours by Monday morning, according to weather data the highest daily amount in almost 120 years. About 200 rescue operations had been carried out in New South Wales and the neighboring state of Victoria as of Tuesday. Dozens of people trapped by the floods had to be brought to safety by helicopter. It is the fourth flood disaster to hit eastern Australia this year. The recent floods have been going on for three months. One of the causes is the rare weather phenomenon La Nina, which brings more rain every few years, this time apparently a lot.
More rain fell in one day west of Sydney than it had in almost 120 years. Dozens of people had to be rescued by helicopter. It is the fourth flood disaster to hit eastern Australia this year.
Large parts of the Australian state of New South Wales on the east coast are again under water after repeated heavy rain. The emergency services are facing “the largest flood operation in the state’s history,” Australian broadcaster ABC reported. More and more responders and volunteers from all over the world would join the rescue teams, especially from New Zealand, Singapore and the USA. “We’ve had volunteers from all over the world when it comes to fighting wildfires, but as far as I know this is the first time they’ve come for floods. And I want to thank them,” said the region’s Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet .
Australia after flood disaster: “People are shocked”
West of the metropolis of Sydney, more than 200 people have been rescued from the floods since Monday. Many had fled to the roofs of their houses. The rescue teams were also deployed with helicopters. In the community of Forbes on the Lachlan River, evacuation orders were issued Tuesday, telling residents to evacuate their homes immediately after flood waters rose rapidly. It is the second devastating flood in two weeks. “People are shocked,” Mayor Phyllis Miller said. “You can’t believe that this can happen twice in such a short time.”
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Scenes are reminiscent of a tsunami
In the neighboring town of Eugowra, two people were missing in the water masses. They were reportedly an 85-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman. A search operation was underway. Huge masses of water drained from the Wyangala Dam above the Lachlan River, some 320 kilometers from Sydney. On Monday alone, 230,000 megaliters per day fell from the dam into the river, it said. Video footage showed trees and plants being swept away by the water. A spokeswoman for 9News said the scenes resembled a massive tsunami.
consequences of climate change
On Australia’s east coast, new rainfall and flooding have been causing desperation for months. Many people have lost everything. Many animals are said to have died in the floods. In addition to New South Wales, the states of Queensland, Victoria and South Australia were also recently affected. The country is particularly suffering from the consequences of climate change. 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.