- SYDNEY — Emergency
service authority of Australia's state of New South Wales (NSW) said on
Saturday that early estimates suggest more than 10,000 properties have been
damaged in floodwaters in the state's eastern regions.
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- The State Emergency Service (SES) Chief Superintendent Paul
McQueen told reporters on Saturday morning that crews would be "out in
force" to start the damage assessment process.
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- "I reiterate this is still a dangerous situation where
significant impacts to infrastructure and properties are likely to have
occurred," he said.
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-
- "Unfortunately, it is not possible to let people return
to their homes until water further subsides and we're sure they can access
their homes and communities safely."
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- The NSW Police said in a statement on Friday evening that
rescue officers found a body inside a burnt-out vehicle at a property on the
flood-hit Mid North Coast.
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- It marks the fifth death in the widespread flooding crisis
that has hit the Mid North Coast and surrounding regions following five
consecutive days of torrential rainfall, Xinhua news agency reported.
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- Earlier on May 23, Australian Prime Minister Anthony
Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns toured the regions north of Sydney that
have been inundated by widespread flooding following five consecutive days of
torrential rainfall.
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- As of Friday afternoon, more than 50,000 people remained cut
off by flooding, and emergency services were continuing to conduct rescue
operations by boat and helicopter.
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- As of Friday afternoon, emergency services had conducted 736
flood rescue operations in total.
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- The severe weather system that brought the torrential
rainfall moved south on Friday and, according to the Bureau of Meteorology
(BoM), could move out of NSW by midnight.
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- Despite the easing conditions, authorities have warned that
river levels could continue to rise.
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- As around 50,000 residents across the NSW Mid North Coast
and Hunter regions are urged to prepare to evacuate, experts are warning that
entering floodwaters poses one of the most significant threats to life.
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- "Four-wheel drives may provide a false sense of
security when attempting to cross floodwater, but research shows that 75 per
cent of all floodwater-related fatalities in the past 15 years are associated
with these vehicles," Natural Hazards Research Australia CEO Andrew
Gissing said in a statement.
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- He cited research showing that 84 per cent of motorists
ignore road closure signs, and that young people, particularly men under the
age of 29, make up the majority of flood-related deaths.
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- Research conducted after the devastating 2022 floods in
northern NSW and southern Queensland revealed that nearly two-thirds of
floodwater fatalities occur within 20 km of people's homes, underscoring the
dangers residents face in familiar surroundings.