Flash flooding along Australia’s southeast coast has resulted in two fatalities and cut off numerous towns, isolating tens of thousands of residents. Officials on Thursday issued warnings for additional downpours expected over the next 24 hours.
Major flooding has impacted several rural towns in the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state. The Mid North Coast region, in particular, is anticipated to receive further heavy rainfall through Thursday.
Police reported that the body of a 63-year-old man was discovered in a flooded home near Taree, located over 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Sydney. Additionally, another body, believed to be that of a missing man in his 30s, was found in floodwaters on the Mid North Coast.
“We’re bracing for more bad news in the next 24 hours. This natural disaster has been terrible for this community,” New South Wales Premier Chris Minns stated during a media briefing.
“There are 140 flood warnings, 50,000 people are in the range where they have been asked to prepare to evacuate and could be isolated, and there are 9,500 properties in the direct vicinity. So, we’re far from out of the woods here.”
Authorities had previously reported two men and one woman missing in separate incidents.
More than 100 schools were closed on Thursday, while thousands of properties remained without power.
Cundletown, in the Mid North Coast, has been completely isolated by floods, according to Nicole Sammut, a nurse caring for 67 elderly residents at an aged care home that is also serving as a shelter for emergency teams.
“I came to work on Tuesday and haven’t left,” Sammut told Reuters. “We are up on a hill but behind us is all water. We are isolated. I’ve never seen the water this high.”
Emergency authorities noted that the Manning River in nearby Taree had surpassed a 100-year-old flood record.
Sherinah Peck was evacuated at 2 AM on Wednesday from her farmhouse on the river, but her belongings were swept away, with some furniture later washing up on the coast.
As she searched Old Bar beach on Thursday, which was strewn with debris and dead and lost livestock, for a cherished bicycle that belonged to her late mother, Peck was knocked over by a cow and sustained injuries, she recounted.
“The cow was distressed – a wave came. I had to scramble up the sand,” she told Reuters.
More Heavy Rain Anticipated
A slow-moving coastal trough has deposited approximately four months’ worth of rain over the past two days, severing access to entire towns and stranding residents on roofs and the second floors of their homes. Rescuers are struggling to access the affected areas by boat or air.
Minns apologized to individuals who experienced prolonged waits for rescue crews but assured that efforts had been intensified, with 2,500 emergency services personnel deployed.
Twenty-two people have been rescued by helicopter, including 18 winched from flooded homes and roads, and four rescued from a bridge, as reported by NSW Police. The helicopters are also directing additional boat rescue operations.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology forecasts that some areas could receive up to 200 millimeters (8 inches) of rain through Friday, potentially triggering life-threatening flash flooding, before the weather system is expected to weaken and track south towards Sydney.
