Sydney, Nov. 15 (BNA): Helicopters and boats rescued hundreds of residents in Australia’s flood-stricken southeast after rivers rose rapidly on Tuesday, cutting off entire towns and inundating homes, highways, bridges and farms.
Officials said emergency crews deployed more than a dozen helicopters to rescue people trapped from rooftops in the hardest-hit towns in the state of New South Wales (NSW).
More than 200 rescues were conducted in the state in the past 24 hours through Tuesday morning, while 24 remained under emergency warnings, Reuters reported.
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service said its helicopters had rescued 67 people, some from trees and rooftops.
A faster-than-expected rise in floodwaters forced officials to serve two-hour evacuation orders for Forbes, as the 8,000 residents of the rural town of Wheatbelt are battling their second major flooding in as many weeks.
“They can’t believe this could happen twice in such a short period of time,” Mayor Phyllis Miller told ABC television. “I am an optimist in my life but this is really heartbreaking.”
Eastern Australia is experiencing its fourth major flooding crisis this year – the latest in its third month – due to a rare weather phenomenon in La Nina in several years, which brings more rain.
Heavy rains battered parts of southwestern New South Wales and northeastern Victoria over the weekend. The data showed that the Korra, which is located about 300 kilometers (186 miles) west of Sydney, received 121 mm (4.8 inches) in the 24 hours to Monday morning, the highest daily rainfall in 118 years.
Although rainfall has decreased and blue skies have returned to many flooded areas, emergency teams have warned that the danger is far from over.
“Although it is sunny at the moment, the water is still flowing into the catchment areas and posing a serious danger to communities,” NSW Emergency Services Commissioner Carlene Yorke said during a media briefing.
Flooded highways near several inland towns are hampering rescue operations as emergency services said they were carrying out what would be the largest flood rescues in New South Wales history.
Prime Minister Dominique Perrottet said the federal government would deploy an additional 100 defense personnel to the relief effort. He said volunteers from New Zealand had arrived while the country had also asked for help from the United States and Singapore.
MI