Sydney – Flash floods on Australia’s southeast coast have killed two people, cut off the town and isolated tens of thousands of residents.
The floods have hit Hunter and some rural towns in the North Coast region of Australia’s most populous state, with most of the North Coast region facing even more rain until Thursday.
Police said the body of the 63-year-old man was found in a flooded home near Tully, more than 186 miles north of Sydney, but another body was found that a missing man in his 30s, believed to have been found in a flood on the north coast.
“We are looking for more bad news in the next 24 hours. This natural disaster has been terrible for this community,” New South Wales Prime Minister Chris Mins said in a media briefing.
“There are 140 flood warnings, 50,000 people will be asked to prepare for evacuation and quarantine, with 9,500 properties directly nearby.
Authorities said two men and one woman were reported missing in separate incidents.
More than 100 schools closed on Thursday, but thousands of facilities were out of power.
Kandoltown on the north coast is completely blocked by floods, said Nicole Sammu, a nurse who cares for 67 elderly residents at an elderly care home that is also used as a shelter by emergency teams.
“I came to work on Tuesday, but didn’t leave,” Samm told Reuters.
“We’re on the hill, but behind us there’s everything water. We’re isolated. We’ve never seen water this high.”
The Manning River in nearby Tully had surpassed flood records 100 years ago, emergency officials said.
Sherina Peck evacuated from the river farmhouse at 2am on Wednesday (12pm on Tuesday), but her belongings were wiped out and furniture was later washed down on the coast.
As she searched Old Bar Beach on Thursday, Peck was injured by a cow, as she scattered debris and dead livestock, and due to the precious bike belonging to her deceased mother, she said.
“The cows were suffering – the waves came. I had to scramble the sand,” she told Reuters.
The slow-moving coastal trough has dumped about four months of rain in the last two days, blocking out residents on the roof and the second floor of the house, and rescuers have struggled to access the area with boats and air.
Minds apologised to those who had to wait several hours for rescuers, but assured them that efforts were surged with 2,500 emergency service personnel deployed.
NSW police say 22 people were rescued from flooded homes and roads by helicopters containing 18 winches, including 18 winches. Helicopters have directed more boat rescues.
Australia’s Weather Service predicts that some areas will be able to receive up to 8 inches of rain by Friday, causing life-threatening flash floods and the weather system will track southward towards Sydney.
