Thousands flee homes as ‘blue-sky floods’ hit Australia towns

Townspeople of inland areas in New South Wales evacuate after 100 flood warnings in the fourth major flood crisis to hit the country this year.

Australia’s east is in the grip of its fourth major flood crisis this year due to a multi-year La Nina weather phenomenon, typically associated with increased rainfall. (Reuters)

Thousands of residents in
several inland towns in Australia’s most populous state of New
South Wales have evacuated their homes overnight with more than 100
flood warnings in place after swollen rivers burst
banks and neared record flood levels.

Major flooding is occurring at Forbes, a rural town in the
state’s wheat belt, with the Lachlan river expected to peak at a
70-year high later on Friday, the Bureau of Meteorology said.

Along the Murrumbidgee river at Wagga Wagga, home to about
70,000, flooding could peak soon, with levels forecast to be
higher than a deluge in 2010, the bureau said.

Forbes Mayor Phyllis Miller said floodwaters were lapping
against shops in the town centre and there was “a bit of panic”
in the community.

“We’re okay but it’s just the unknown of where this flood will end up,” Miller told ABC Radio.

The entire town of Forbes, with a population of over 8,000, and around 700 residents of North Wagga Wagga have been ordered to evacuate.

Australia’s east is in the grip of its fourth major flood
crisis this year due to a multi-year La Nina weather phenomenon,
typically associated with increased rainfall.

‘Devastating losses’

Authorities are describing the latest deluge as “blue-sky
floods” as rains have eased but water continues to flow from
overloaded dams and rivers.

The government has warned that inundation of agricultural
lands will trigger a rise in the prices of fruit and vegetables,
inflicting more pain on families already battling soaring
inflation.

Emergency crews used helicopters to winch more than 1,000
sheep to safety after the animals became trapped in a paddock
near Forbes, which was slowly filling up with floodwater.

Forbes cattle farmer Charles Laverty, who has about a third
of his paddocks underwater, said frequent flooding has hit
farming communities hard with many struggling to recover.

“A lot of (my neighbours) have given up on harvesting those
areas, which is very expensive,” Laverty told the Australian
Associated Press news agency. “The losses are going to be devastating for
them.”

Source: Reuters

Thousands flee homes as ‘blue-sky floods’ hit Australia towns
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