MELBOURNE: Australia reported its first death since days of widespread flash flooding on Saturday, although heavy rains have eased and flood levels are highest in much of the southeast.
Hundreds of homeowners have begun cleaning up a long time after stormwater engulfed streets, homes and cars across three states, with the Melbourne suburb one of the hardest hit. .
Two very wet years have left much of eastern Australia arid, and flooding is now frequently followed by downpours.
“It’s horrible. I’ve been here in other floods but I’ve never seen anything like it,” 61 years old Antoinette Besalino told AFP.
The flood victim was apparently a 71-year-old man who was “found dead in floodwater in the backyard” of his property in Rochester, a small town north of Melbourne.
“Crew crews are on the scene and police are trying to access the property, which is currently blocked off due to floodwaters,” police said.
“The exact circumstances surrounding the death have yet to be determined.”
When the water raged, residents had to wade through muddy roads, over collapsed fences, abandoned cars, decorative tree branches covered in debris and in one example, a trash can. there are many seeds.
“The cleanup will be huge,” said the 58-year-old Peter Dimauro. “Think of all the twigs and all the garbage that’s gone.”
About 466 homes were “flooded on the floor”, according to the Victorian prime minister Dan Andrews. “It is almost certain that these numbers will increase as we see floodwaters peaking in some communities,” he said.
For some, the risk is not over, with water still flowing into already swollen basins.
Evacuation orders are still in place for dozens of communities.
“This is serious, this can be very dangerous,” Andrews said.
Australia’s east coast has been consistently hit by heavy rainfall over the past two years, due to the La Nina return cycles.
The east coast flood disaster in March – caused by severe storms in Queensland and New South Wales – claimed the lives of more than 20 people.
Tens of thousands of Sydney residents were ordered to evacuate in July as floods swept through the city’s fringes again.
Climate change doesn’t cause La Nina events, but scientists believe it could make periods of flooding more extreme because warmer air holds more moisture.
Hundreds of homeowners have begun cleaning up a long time after stormwater engulfed streets, homes and cars across three states, with the Melbourne suburb one of the hardest hit. .
Two very wet years have left much of eastern Australia arid, and flooding is now frequently followed by downpours.
“It’s horrible. I’ve been here in other floods but I’ve never seen anything like it,” 61 years old Antoinette Besalino told AFP.
The flood victim was apparently a 71-year-old man who was “found dead in floodwater in the backyard” of his property in Rochester, a small town north of Melbourne.
“Crew crews are on the scene and police are trying to access the property, which is currently blocked off due to floodwaters,” police said.
“The exact circumstances surrounding the death have yet to be determined.”
When the water raged, residents had to wade through muddy roads, over collapsed fences, abandoned cars, decorative tree branches covered in debris and in one example, a trash can. there are many seeds.
“The cleanup will be huge,” said the 58-year-old Peter Dimauro. “Think of all the twigs and all the garbage that’s gone.”
About 466 homes were “flooded on the floor”, according to the Victorian prime minister Dan Andrews. “It is almost certain that these numbers will increase as we see floodwaters peaking in some communities,” he said.
For some, the risk is not over, with water still flowing into already swollen basins.
Evacuation orders are still in place for dozens of communities.
“This is serious, this can be very dangerous,” Andrews said.
Australia’s east coast has been consistently hit by heavy rainfall over the past two years, due to the La Nina return cycles.
The east coast flood disaster in March – caused by severe storms in Queensland and New South Wales – claimed the lives of more than 20 people.
Tens of thousands of Sydney residents were ordered to evacuate in July as floods swept through the city’s fringes again.
Climate change doesn’t cause La Nina events, but scientists believe it could make periods of flooding more extreme because warmer air holds more moisture.
