Thousands of people called to evacuate in the face of floods

Thousands of residents have been called to evacuate their homes in southeastern Australia, including the town of Maribyrnong, a suburb of Melbourne. The state of Victoria – the second most populous in the country – is hit by a sudden rise in water levels.

State Premier Daniel Andrews reported that 500 homes have been “flooded” and rescuers can no longer access 500 properties surrounded by water. “These numbers will definitely increase. Helicopters are currently carrying out an assessment of the damage, ”he said on Friday at the start of the afternoon.

State emergency services have warned that the floods will worsen when the watersheds located upstream discharge their overflow. Tim Wiebusch, spokesman for the emergency services, estimated that “few areas” of the state of Victoria would be spared “over the next few days”.

The deployed army

The Commissioner for Emergency Management, Andrew Crisp, has announced that the Australian military is deploying to parts of Victoria to assist residents who are erecting sandbag dams to prevent no water enters them.

He spoke of a “major emergency” situation. A disused Covid-19 quarantine center, able to accommodate a thousand people, will be opened for residents forced to leave their homes. Northern Tasmania and New South Wales were also bracing for major flooding on Friday.

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