Australia rain fury: PM tours flood-affected areas, weather dept predicts more rainfall

Australians visited their homes and businesses to evaluate the damage caused due to floods amid an evacuation alert in inland regions of the southwest.

Major flood warnings have been issued across many regions despite rains throughout the weekend, triggering rivers to swell and climbing to danger levels. Australian PM Anthony Alabanese termed the flood situation as ‘dangerous’.

Authorities stated that the crisis recorded its first fatality on Saturday. An individual’s body was recovered from floodwaters in Rochester. Rochester is 200 kilometres north of Melbourne.

“We are living in very dangerous times in the days and weeks ahead. There is further rain expected later this week, so it remains a very dangerous situation,” the PM said during a press conference held at the worst-affected town in New South Wales.

AUSTRALIA’S WEATHER TO WORSEN

Meanwhile, the Australian weather department forecast a wild weather system that could trigger rains up to 50 mm across some flood-hit regions. The weather bureau said that areas of Tasmania witnessed intense weather systems throughout the preceding week and parts of the region recorded rainfall, harbouring more than a month’s quota.

PM Albanese toured the flood-struck parts on Sunday. He took stock of the crisis in Melbourne and continued to grapple with a flood crisis after days of heavy rain.

After the department flagged an alert in the southwest regions last week, parts of northern regions of Tasmania were under flood warnings, including southern New South Wales and northern Tasmania.

“Australians are coming together, they are helping each other out and once again we are seeing at the worst of times the best Australian character,” said PM Albanese.

Social media platforms were flooded with visuals of Australian residents salvaging the flood crisis. While few resorted to manually draining the waterlogging, residents of Shepparton were seen commuting via kayaks. In Melbourne, residents were seen mopping after the Maribyrnong River overflowed on Friday.