Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was greeted on Wednesday (March 9) by angry protesters in a flood-hit east coast town.
Read alsoAustralia: the endless disaster
Dozens of protesters called for more aid and stronger action to fight climate change as Scott Morrison visited Lismore, the town hardest hit by the torrential rains that battered Australia's east coast for nearly two weeks, killing 20 people.
“
We need help!
chanted the demonstrators, many of whom held signs denouncing climate change: “
coal and gas did this
” and “ this
is what climate change looks like
”.
Evacuation order
After this second major flood in a year, the streets of the city of New South Wales were littered with debris and broken furniture.
Water receded along much of the east coast thanks to lower rainfall on Wednesday, but flood alerts were still in effect in some areas, including the Hawkesbury River west of Sydney.
Nearly 40,000 people in New South Wales were still under an evacuation order in the morning, while 90,000 people were authorized to return to their homes.
Read also Floods in Australia: 200,000 people asked to evacuate
Interviewed at a press conference in Lismore, Scott Morrison defended his government's climate record, stressing its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. “
We are dealing with a different climate than we have experienced before.
I think it's just a no-brainer
,” Scott Morrison said.
"
And it's getting hard to live in Australia because of these disasters
."
The Prime Minister, who is due to return to voters in May, has stressed his support for coal-fired power stations providing cheap electricity until the end of their lifespan.
Allowances
In response to this crisis in northern New South Wales, Scott Morrison assured people in the worst affected areas that they would see their disaster payout triple compared to other flooded areas.
The government already offers 1000 Australian dollars (668 euros) for an adult and 400 Australian dollars (267 euros) for a child.
These sums are in addition to a series of other financial measures, including A$1 billion in grants awarded jointly by the federal government and the states of New South Wales and Queensland, he said.
Australia has been hit hard in recent years by climate change: droughts, deadly bushfires and floods are becoming more frequent and intense.
