‘Devastating effects’: Australia battles record floods

‘devastating effects’
Australia is struggling with record floods

Australia has repeatedly suffered from heavy rainfall in the past two years. Rescue services are now talking about the “worst flood” the residents of Western Australia have ever seen. Many people have to be rescued from their homes by helicopter.

According to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, record flooding in Australia after heavy rains is having “devastating effects” on remote towns in the country’s west. Albanese told reporters that many communities are in a desperate situation. “The resources are not available,” he added. Helicopters have been ferrying people to safety in the sparsely populated Kimberley region over the past few days as floodwaters rise.

While the rains have recently eased, some cities may remain cut off from the outside world for several days. Rescue services spoke of the “worst flood” Western Australia has ever seen. Kimberley is almost twice the size of the UK, with a population of just under 40,000 (compared to around 66 million in the UK).

Australia has repeatedly experienced torrential rains in the past two years, which have been favored by the back-to-back occurrence of the La Niña weather phenomenon. In the east of the country, there were flash floods in November, some of which tore entire homes off their foundations. In July, thousands of residents of the coastal city of Sydney were evacuated as floodwaters engulfed the city’s suburbs.

In November, several areas in the state of New South Wales on Australia’s east coast recorded record flooding. Here, too, several people had to be rescued by helicopter from their homes surrounded by bodies of water after flash floods. Broadcasting station 9News reported that places such as Eugowra, Molong, Cowra and Canowindra, west of Sydney city, were particularly affected. Australian scientists have repeatedly warned that global warming increases the risk of natural disasters.

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