GRAFTON – Deadly floods spread down Australia’s east coast today, stranding residents on rooftops and bridges and prompting authorities to order tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.
Flood warnings were in effect for dozens of rivers across the states of Queensland of New South Wales, where a days-long “rain bomb” has dumped a metre of rain on some areas in a week.
Several waterways have already burst their banks or broken through levees, inundating towns and forcing residents to flee or seek safety on higher ground.
“We’ve seen people stranded on roofs for hours, we’ve seen children being rescued, we’re seeing people stranded on bridges,” said New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet.
Eight people have died and more than a thousand people have been rescued. Authorities have warned that more fatalities are likely.
In one spectacular rescue, a helicopter crew flew in to pluck two people to safety as muddy waters lapped at the corrugated metal roof of their home.
Live television images on national broadcaster ABC showed a rescuer sitting on the roof with the pair, preparing to strap them to the chopper’s winch.
In the town of Lismore, nine people were missing amid the worst floods on record.
The local MP for Lismore, Janelle Saffin, had to swim to safety after she was stranded in the floodwaters.
“We went to the verandah, hanging on to the rafters,” she told the Nine Newspapers. – AFP, March 1, 2022
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