Catastrophic floods in Australia: 'Dozens trapped by water'

Created: 03/01/2022Updated: 03/01/2022 10:18 am

By: Patrick Huljina

In mid-January it was still more than 50 degrees - now catastrophic flooding.

Australia is particularly struggling with extreme weather.

Sydney / Brisbane – According to the authorities, the floods in eastern Australia * have assumed catastrophic proportions.

Hundreds of people in the state of New South Wales were still on the roofs of their homes on Monday evening (local time) waiting for help.

Desperate calls for help were received by the authorities – also via social networks.

Especially around the city of Lismore, the levels had risen extremely quickly due to the flooding.

Australia: Catastrophic floods - 'never seen anything like it'

Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg described the situation as "unprecedented" and "life-threatening".

The situation due to the weather * is "catastrophic".

More than 15,000 people in the region have already been brought to safety from the floods.

"We've never seen anything like it around here," Krieg told Australian news agency AAP.

Through social media, he asked for help for residents stuck on their roofs after the floods.

Trapped people had to be rescued from their homes by boat.

© Jason O'brien/dpa

"If anyone has a boat and can come to Engine Street, there's a pregnant woman sitting on her roof.

Please help,” he wrote on Facebook, for example, on Monday.

Australia: Catastrophic floods are the result of the weather phenomenon La Niña

It has been raining torrentially in the region for days.

The trigger for the extreme weather and the floods is a low-pressure area that moves only slowly.

Due to the La Niña* weather phenomenon, eastern Australia is currently experiencing an exceptionally wet summer.

Queensland Prime Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Monday that in some regions of her state it had rained as much in the past few days as it normally does in a whole year.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison spoke of a "crisis situation" and wanted to consult with the country's emergency authorities on how to proceed.

He promised those affected by the weather in Australia * financial and logistical support.

Australia: "Dozens of people trapped by the water" - roofs as a last resort

Numerous rescue workers tried under the most difficult conditions to get people to safety from the roofs before nightfall, as reported by the broadcaster

.

"Dozens of people are trapped by the water - unable to escape unless rescued by boat," it said.

Some residents punched holes in their roofs - the only escape route when their houses flooded.

Sometimes the water is up to the ceiling.

An easing of the situation is still not foreseeable: meteorologists predicted further rainfall for the next few days.

The Australian Meteorological Service has warned that "life-threatening flash floods" are threatening much of the east coast due to more severe thunderstorms and intense rain.

In total, millions of Australians have been asked to stay at home.

In many houses, the water is up to the roof after the heavy rains.

© Fraser Coast Regional Council/AP/dpa

Floods in Australia: Eight dead in Queensland – three people missing

Flooding had also recently occurred in Australia's largest city, Sydney.

According to meteorologists, it was the wettest summer in the metropolis in 30 years.

In the neighboring state of Queensland, the death toll rose to eight.

Police say three people are still missing.

The metropolis of Brisbane and the cities of Gympie and Maryborough as well as areas along the Sunshine Coast were particularly badly affected.

Tens of thousands of buildings were damaged or destroyed by the "catastrophic floods," it said.

Whole streets would have turned into rivers.

Over 50,000 homes were without power.

Hundreds of schools remained closed, public transport such as buses, trains and ferries stopped operating.

Australia is particularly suffering from climate change*.

In mid-January, large parts of Down Under* were still sweating under a merciless heat bell.

In the west of the country, values ​​​​of more than 50 degrees were recorded in some cases.

And now the east of the country is struggling with catastrophic flooding.