Sydney, Oct. 18 (BNA): Thousands of residents in southeast Australia braced for renewed flooding on Tuesday as forecasters warned of more rain later this week, while swollen rivers continued to flood farms, towns and homes downstream.
Australia’s longest river, the Murray River, which straddles the border between the two most populous states of New South Wales and Victoria, could reach its highest level in 30 years on Friday around the border towns of Echuca and Moama, home to more than 20,000 people. The Met Office said in its latest update.
Reuters reported that emergency crews in Moama, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) north of Melbourne, have ramped up sandbag deliveries and set up rescue centers to help house hundreds of evacuees.
Several thousand others in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales have been warned to prepare to leave their homes.
Although the wild weather has subsided, there are still significant flood warnings across swathes of the southeast after the area received more than a month of total rain over two days last week.
More rain is expected late Wednesday in some flood-affected areas with a low pressure system expected to drop up to 50 mm (2 inches) of rain.
Federal Treasury Secretary Jim Chalmers warned that flooding in growth regions could raise food prices and signaled more relief spending ahead of next week’s budget.
ZHB