Australian Authorities Airdrop Supplies to Farmers Stranded by Floods
Recovery is under way in the mid-north coast region of Australia's most populous state after days of flooding cut off towns, swept away livestock and destroyed homes, Reuters reported. At least 10,000 properties may have been damaged in the floods, which were sparked by days of incessant rain, authorities estimate.
About 32,000 residents remained isolated due to floodwaters, which were slowly starting to recede, the state's Emergency Services posted on the X platform.
"The New South Wales government is providing emergency fodder, veterinary care, management advice and aerial support for isolated stock," state Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said in a statement.
It said 43 helicopter drops and around 130 drops by other means had provided "isolated farmers with emergency fodder for their stranded livestock".
At their peak, the floods isolated around 50,000 people, submerging intersections and street signs in mid-north coast towns and covering cars up to their windshields, after fast-rising waters burst river banks.
Five deaths have been linked to the floods, the latest a man in his 80s whose body was found at a flooded property about 50 km (30 miles) from Taree, one of the worst-hit towns, police said. Taree sits along the Manning River more than 300 km (190 miles) north of state capital Sydney.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday that conditions remained critical in flood-affected regions of New South Wales, as clean-up efforts began.
Australia has been hit with increasing extreme weather events that some experts say are the result of climate change. After droughts and devastating bushfires at the end of last decade, frequent floods have wreaked havoc since early 2021.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Pakistan warns of fresh floods this week as monsoon-related deaths rise to 221
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is likely to witness more floods as a fresh rainy spell is likely to continue till July 25, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday, with the number of monsoon-related deaths rising to 221 since late June. Pakistan's most populous Punjab province has reported the highest number of deaths at 135, followed by 46 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 22 in Sindh, 16 in Balochistan, and one each in the federal capital of Islamabad and Azad Kashmir. The deceased included 104 children, 77 men and 40 women, according to a latest situation report shared by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). 'Heavy rains may generate flash floods in local streams of Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Buner, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi, Mardan, Murree, Galliyat, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Hill torrents of DG Khan, Northeast Punjab and Kashmir from July 21-25,' the PMD said on Monday. 'Heavy Downpour may cause urban floods in low-lying areas of Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sialkot, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Okara, Nowshera and Peshawar.' During this period, landslides and mudslides may block roads in vulnerable areas of Murree, Galliyat, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, according to the PMD. Heavy rains, windstorms and lightning could also damage weak structures, electric poles, billboards, vehicles and solar panels. Monsoon season brings South Asia 70 to 80 percent of its annual rainfall, arriving in early June in India and late June in Pakistan, and lasting through until September. The annual rains are vital for agriculture and food security, and the livelihoods of millions of farmers. But increasingly erratic and extreme weather patterns are turning the rains into a destructive force. In 2022, record-breaking monsoon rains combined with glacial melt submerged nearly a third of Pakistan, killing more than 1,700 people and displacing over 8 million. In May, at least 32 people were killed in severe storms, including strong hailstorms.
Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
Torrential rain leaves at least 18 dead in South Korea, trail of devastation
REUTERS: Severe wet weather in South Korea eased on Monday following days of torrential rain that triggered floods and landslides and left at least 18 people dead, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on Monday. Nine people remained missing as of Sunday evening, the ministry said, with residents of the worst-hit areas in shock. At Gapyeong, some 62 kilometers (38.5 miles) northeast of the capital Seoul, some residents recalled narrow escapes from the floods after 173 millimeters (6.8 inches) of rain deluged the area over just 17 hours on Sunday. Gapyeong was among a number of places that saw a record amount of rain in a single day and broke the previous high for national daily precipitation of 156.3 mm that was set on September 30, 1998. 'The ground just sank beneath me, and the water rose all the way up to my neck. Luckily, there was an iron pipe nearby. I held on to it with all my strength,' said Ahn Gyeong-bun, the owner of a restaurant that was almost completely destroyed. Two people died and four were missing after a landslide engulfed homes around Gapyeong and floods swept away vehicles as of Sunday, the ministry said. For those remaining like Ahn, an uncertain future awaits. 'I've run this restaurant for 10 years ... What am I supposed to do now?' said Ahn, as she stood next to the badly damaged structure of her building perched next to a still swollen river. At times breaking down in tears, the 65-year-old said several of the restaurant's refrigerators were washed away by the flood. Across South Korea, rain damage had been reported to 1,999 public structures and 2,238 private facilities, including farms, the interior ministry said. While the rain has eased, the national weather agency has now issued a nationwide heatwave watch. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has ordered a thorough response to the disaster, his office said. 'As local heavy rains have become commonplace, customised measures based on regional characteristics are urgently needed,' said Kang Yu-jung, the spokesperson for Lee's office. 'If serious laxity or mistakes are found in civil servants' discipline, we will hold them accountable and thorough measures will be taken to prevent a recurrence.' Lee, who took office in June, has promised to make the country safer and to prevent any repeat of the disasters in recent years that have often been blamed on the inadequate response by authorities.
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Torrential Rain Leaves at Least 18 Dead in South Korea, Trail of Devastation
Severe wet weather in South Korea eased on Monday following days of torrential rain that triggered floods and landslides and left at least 18 people dead, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on Monday. Nine people remained missing as of Sunday evening, the ministry said, with residents of the worst-hit areas in shock. At Gapyeong, some 62 kilometers (38.5 miles) northeast of the capital Seoul, some residents recalled narrow escapes from the floods after 173 millimeters (6.8 inches) of rain deluged the area over just 17 hours on Sunday. Gapyeong was among a number of places that saw a record amount of rain in a single day and broke the previous high for national daily precipitation of 156.3 mm that was set on September 30, 1998. "The ground just sank beneath me, and the water rose all the way up to my neck. Luckily, there was an iron pipe nearby. I held on to it with all my strength," said Ahn Gyeong-bun, the owner of a restaurant that was almost completely destroyed. Two people died and four were missing after a landslide engulfed homes around Gapyeong and floods swept away vehicles as of Sunday, Reuters quoted the ministry as saying. For those remaining like Ahn, an uncertain future awaits. "I've run this restaurant for 10 years ... What am I supposed to do now?" said Ahn, as she stood next to the badly damaged structure of her building perched next to a still swollen river. At times breaking down in tears, the 65-year-old said several of the restaurant's refrigerators were washed away by the flood. Across South Korea, rain damage had been reported to 1,999 public structures and 2,238 private facilities, including farms, the interior ministry said. While the rain has eased, the national weather agency has now issued a nationwide heatwave watch. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has ordered a thorough response to the disaster, his office said. "As local heavy rains have become commonplace, customized measures based on regional characteristics are urgently needed," said Kang Yu-jung, the spokesperson for Lee's office. "If serious laxity or mistakes are found in civil servants' discipline, we will hold them accountable and thorough measures will be taken to prevent a recurrence." Lee, who took office in June, has promised to make the country safer and to prevent any repeat of the disasters in recent years that have often been blamed on the inadequate response by authorities.
