Thousands of people have been ordered to flee their homes after heavy rains hit the east coast of Australia, flooded cities and residents trapped on their rooftops, authorities warned of further life-threatening floods.
The death toll rose to eight on Monday after a man was swept away trying to cross a flooded road, paramedics said.
The Brisbane River in Australia’s third-largest city has reached an all-time high of the morning with about 15,000 homes affected by rising water.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the storms as “a slow-moving bomber” heading south in New South Wales, Australia’s most populous region.
Morrison told 4BC radio station that security personnel would be deployed to flood-prone areas.
Hundreds of schools are closed
Southeast Queensland, which has suffered from severe storm damage to date, has been swept away by emergency services. More than a thousand schools are closed and about 50,000 XNUMX homes have no electricity.
Many districts in the province saw a record of heavy rainfall in February after a continuous downpour, and some areas received more than a month’s rainfall in one day.
“I think everyone can agree, no one has ever seen this rainstorm in such a short time,” Queensland Prime Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters.
The summer coast of eastern Australia is dominated by the La Nina climate pattern, which is often associated with heavy rainfall.
‘Great floods’
In New South Wales, orders were issued to leave several towns, including Lismore, about 440 miles [700 km] north of Sydney.
“I have been calling the most depressed citizens sitting on the roof trying to get help. It’s Satanic,” Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg told ABC broadcaster.
Krieg said the rapid rise in water levels had “surprised many people” as he urged about 30,000 villagers to leave their homes immediately.
“This is the biggest flood Lismore has ever seen.”