30 Pics Of Catastrophic Australian Floods That Are Happening Now As 2022 Competes For The Worst Year Award
Tens of thousands of people had been ordered to evacuate their homes and many more had been told to prepare to flee as eastern Australia is experiencing the worst flood in decades.
Military helicopters airlifted stranded people from rooftops in submerged neighborhoods and a tenth victim was found on Tuesday following days of torrential rain.
The devastating weather has submerged several towns and bridges in Queensland and New South Wales, and is moving to the south with heavy rains and possible flash flooding forecasted for Sydney.
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"This rather significant weather system ... we will see it come into the central coast of Sydney and we are already experiencing elements of that right now," Prime Minister Scott Morrison explained during a media briefing.
Sydney is Australia's largest city and home to more than 5 million people. It could receive up to 150 mm (6 inches) of rains within a six-hour period, the Bureau of Meteorology said. (Sydney's mean rainfall for March is 138 mm.)
New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet described the extreme weather as a "one-in-a-one thousand-year event" and said emergency crews carried out more than 1,000 rescues in the state after receiving 6,000 calls for help so far.
Hundreds of people are still stuck at their homes in the northern New South Wales city of Lismore, facing its worst floods in history, amid reports of some even spending the night on rooftops.
Mayor Steve Krieg said that nine people were still missing with 400 rescues yet to be carried out.
According to authorities, around 50 people were rescued after they became stuck on a bridge overnight when fast-rising waters submerged both ends.
Just north of Brisbane. Name a more ironic sign.
Australia's east coast summer has been dominated by the La Nina climate pattern (which is typically associated with greater rainfall) for a second straight year.
Brisbane, Australia's third-largest city, received around 80% of its annual rainfall over the last three days alone, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Tuesday.
You're right but it's already too late. What we do now will help 'start reversing what we've done in about a century. Until then it's going to get very much worse. Sorry. People in low areas around coasts should be moving. If you live on a floodplain for any waterway, move uphill now by at least 200 to 300 feet. Too many people hemming and hawing, dragging their feet. This isn't going away and it's not going to be magically fixed overnight.
Perrottet said 40,000 people were ordered to evacuate, while 300,000 others were placed under evacuation warnings.
"We'll be doing everything ... we can to get everybody to safety and get these communities right across our state back on their feet as quickly as possible," Perrottet told reporters in Sydney.
Government meteorologist Jonathan Howe described the amount of recent rainfall in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland as "astronomical."
I can't imagine being bedridden or super sick in a hospital and this flood happens. It would be terrifying and such a helpless feeling.
Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said emergency services held grave concerns for a man in his 70s who fell from his moored yacht in the state capital Brisbane into a swollen river on Saturday and for a 76-year-old man who disappeared with his vehicle in floodwater northwest of Brisbane on Sunday.
The poor wildlife can't get a break. First three wildfires, now this. I pray both the animals and the people of Australia pull thru. God help them
Australia's hottest and driest year on record was 2019 which ended with devastating wildfires across the southeast part of the country. The fires then killed 33 people directly and another 400 people were killed by the smoke.
The fires also destroyed more than 3,000 homes and 19 million hectares (47 million acres ) of farmland and forests.
But two La Nina weather patterns have since brought above-average rainfall to the same regions.
By the time they get the mess cleared, it will be time for another "once in a lifetime" flood. Too bad we can't move some of this water to areas besieged by historic droughts.
this looks like a beautiful historic building. I hope they can save her, and don't decided it's too costly to save.
I know the coming days will be as bad as the actual flood...clearing the destruction and mud is a nightmare. Poor Lismore.
I'd be terrified for what is in that water. Especially being it's Australia.
I spent more than two weeks without power after Hurricane Charley. The aftermath is really difficult when you're high and dry... I can't imagine slogging thru mud and trying to cope. Little things like dry clothes and the ability to do laundry become a lot more important.
It looks like rescue efforts are further complicated by metal roofs. In New Orleans people put axes in their attics to help free themselves if the water got that high. I don't know that an axe would help with a metal roof.
The only good thing seems to be that the water is moving relatively slowly, not tsunami levels.
What is needed is the equivalent of a "Cajun navy", civilians who organized and rescued a lot of people. Most of the area the Cajuns patrolled was filled with commercial fisherman, so there were a lot of boats available. I think if I lived in this area, I would buy a boat and keep it on the roof.
Note: this post originally had 86 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Here in Europe everyone is so busy with the Ukraine war, I didn't even know about the floods in Australia. :0 This is terrible! I hope those people get help soon..
Sending prayers to Australia, and everyone affected by this devastating flood. God help them please
Here in Europe everyone is so busy with the Ukraine war, I didn't even know about the floods in Australia. :0 This is terrible! I hope those people get help soon..
Sending prayers to Australia, and everyone affected by this devastating flood. God help them please
