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27-05-2025
SYDNEY: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced the start of a cleanup operation in eastern Australia after record-breaking floods killed five people and stranded tens of thousands of people.
Damage assessments are under way for the coastal region of New South Wales in the east, where at least 10,000 properties are thought to have been damaged, the state’s emergency services agency said on Saturday.
Conditions have eased since Friday after days of relentless rain isolated towns, swept away livestock and destroyed homes, the agency added.
“We’re continuing to work closely across federal, state and local governments to make sure Australians get the support they need now and through recovery,” Albanese posted on social media.
Despite improving conditions, hundreds of residents remain in evacuation centres with 52 rescues made overnight, State Emergency Services Commissioner Mike Wassing said.
Its “awful to hear the news of more loss of life”, Albanese said after being forced to cancel his trip to Taree on Friday due to floodwaters.
At their worst, the flooding isolated about 50,000 people and submerged roads in the country’s most populous state.
Coastal areas were left littered with debris and dead animals after a powerful storm system dumped months’ worth of rain in three days.
Train services, including airport services, were affected by flooded tracks. Sydney airport shut two of its three runways for an hour on Friday morning, delaying flights.
Australia has suffered a series of extreme weather events in recent years, which experts have attributed to climate change.
Frequent flooding has caused widespread devastation in the country since early 2021, following droughts and bushfires at the end of the last decade.
Record-breaking floods in eastern Australia have killed four people and stranded tens of thousands after days of relentless rain.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New South Wales Premier Christopher Minns visited affected communities on Friday, some of which have experienced their worst flooding on record this week.
Minns praised emergency workers and volunteers, who have rescued 678 people in recent days, 177 of them in the past 24 hours.
“It’s an amazing, heroic logistical effort where, in very difficult circumstances, many volunteers put themselves in harm’s way to rescue a complete stranger,” Minns told reporters.
“Without the volunteers, we would have had hundreds of deaths and we’re in deep, deep gratitude.”
As well as the four victims killed, one person is reported missing.
About 50,000 people are still isolated across New South Wales, the country’s most populous state. Entire towns remain cut off and roads submerged after a powerful weather system dumped months of rain in three days.
Flash floods tore through rural communities, washing away livestock, damaging homes, and turning streets into rivers. Coastal areas are now littered with debris and dead animals.
Authorities have warned returning residents to remain vigilant.
“Floodwaters have contaminants, there can be vermin, snakes … so you need to assess those risks. Electricity can also pose a danger as well,” said Emergency Services Deputy Commissioner Damien Johnston. (Int’l News Desk)
