Tens Of Thousands Evacuate Australia As Worst Floods hit the Country In Decades

Tens of thousands of people were ordered to leave their homes on Tuesday, and many more had been warned to prepare to flee as parts of Australia's southeast coast were barraged by the worst flooding in decades.

Over the past week, Australia's east coast has been assailed by a severe weather system that has cut off entire towns and submerged hundreds of homes and farms as it moved south from Queensland state.

Australian Citizens Dread

The rains flooded town centres, washed away homes and downed power lines. At least 13 people have died since the extreme weather arrived late last week, with the most recent four deaths occurring in the worst-affected town of Lismore, New South Wales.

Lucy Wise, a resident of the hard-hit town of Lismore, said the floods came much faster and much higher than expected, reported NDTV.

"The rain just wouldn't stop, and the water was just coming up so fast," she told Australian Federal Police.

Evacuation Operation

Residents have sought refuge on higher ground, in makeshift evacuation centres, or by clambering into attics or onto rooftops in the hopes of being rescued by boat or helicopter. New South Wales state Premier Dominic Perrottet told reporters that evacuation orders and warnings would affect approximately 500,000 people.

"We do believe that things will get worse before they get better in the state," as reported by Al-Jazeera.

On Wednesday, tens of thousands of residents were ordered to evacuate in the middle of the night. As the waters receded in Lismore, the town in northern New South Wales hardest hit by the floods, business owners began to assess the damage.

Repercussions of La Nina

The second year of flooding coincides with the La Nina weather pattern, typically associated with increased rainfall and has dominated Australia's east coast this summer. Rivers and catchments were already near capacity before the latest deluge, which came after several weeks of steady rain.

As rains eased, authorities predicted that the Warragamba Dam, Sydney's main water supply, would not overflow as much as previously indicated. Although satellite images show the storm moving away from Sydney, several suburbs in the city's west still deal with rising waters.

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