Parts of Australia declare a natural disaster during ‘once in 100 years’ floods

Parts of Australia declare a natural disaster during ‘once in 100 years’ floods

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Rain has flooded communities since Thursday, but parts of the east coast came into crisis on Saturday as a large dam overflowed, adding to swollen rivers and causing flash floods.

The NSW and the federal government have signed 16 natural disaster declarations in areas stretching along the central and mid-north coasts, from Hunter Valley near Sydney to Coff’s Harbor, Emergency Services Minister David Elliott said at a news conference on Sunday.

No deaths have been reported yet – but, Elliott warned, “we are moving ever closer to the inevitable fate.”

“We can not say it enough: do not endanger yourself, and do not endanger the agencies that are there to help you in the event of a flood rescue,” he said.

Some families were forced to evacuate in the middle of the night as rivers rose to dangerous levels, and another 4,000 people – mainly in the Hawkesbury region – may have to evacuate on Sunday, Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian told a news conference.

A rescue worker helps residents cross a flooded road in western Sydney on March 20

“It’s nothing like we’ve seen since the 1960s,” Berejiklian said. In parts of the state that have been hit harder, it is a one-time event; in other regions such as the Hawkesbury area, it is a ‘one-to-50-year’ event, she said.

Since Thursday, the Emergency Service (SES) has responded to 7,000 calls for help and made more than 750 flood rescues. Thousands of emergency workers and volunteers are still on the ground helping trapped residents.

Photos show backyards and houses half under water and roads flowed up to knee height. In downtown Taree, residents rescued a cow struggling to stay afloat; nearby, an entire house was swept away by the raging floodwaters, according to CNN affiliate Seven News.
Residents look at the swollen Nepese River on March 20 during heavy rains in western Sydney.

Berejiklian urged residents to follow local guidance, stay off the roads and to consider evacuation orders if necessary – even for those who live in flood-prone areas and may have experienced flooding before. “It’s different,” she warned. “What we are going through is different from what you have been through for the last 50 years. Please take it seriously.”

Authorities do not yet know how many homes or infrastructure were lost, but “the damage is huge,” she said.

The explanation for the natural disaster could be further extended to the coast as the damage increases, Elliott said. The statement allows those affected to receive financial assistance, including repairing damage to homes, subsidies for affected livestock or agriculture, and loans with low or no interest.

The whole house drifts away as flash floods infest the east coast of Australia

Behind Imielska of the Bureau of Meteorology, Agata Imielska said, heavy rain is expected to continue in the coming week. In the areas worst affected, rain can fall more than four times the average monthly March within two days.

Wednesday will be the first day of the postponement, and the rain is expected to ease into the mood.

But the clean-up operation will take many more weeks, said SES Deputy Commissioner Daniel Austin, according to CNN affiliate Nine News. Teams on the ground expect operations to continue “past Easter,” and river levels will take time to recede. “We are looking at some long and prolonged operations,” he said.

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