Australia begins clean-up after floods kill five, damage 10,000 properties
SYDNEY: Australian authorities started clean-up efforts on Saturday (May 24) after floods claimed five lives and inundated more than 10,000 properties in the country's southeast.
The New South Wales emergency services agency said damage assessments were under way in the state for the mid-north coast region after the floods that cut off towns, swept away livestock and destroyed homes this week.
"Early estimates indicate at least 10,000 properties may have been damaged following record flooding," the agency said in a statement. Conditions had improved since Friday in the impacted areas of Australia's most populous state, it said.
Even so, hundreds of flood-hit residents were still in evacuation centres, State Emergency Services commissioner Mike Wassing said at a media conference in Sydney, with 52 flood rescues being made overnight.
A drone view shows a boat approaching a flooded shed at a stud farm near the Hunter River in Heatherbrae, Australia, May 24, 2025. - Photo: Reuters
The latest flood-linked death was that of a man in his 80s, whose body was found at a flooded property about 50 km (31 miles) from Taree, one of the worst-hit towns, police said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, forced on Friday to cancel a trip to Taree due to floodwaters, said it was "awful to hear the news of more loss of life".
"All of our thoughts are with his loved ones and the community at this time," Albanese said in a statement. The floods, sparked by days of incessant rain, submerged intersections and street signs in mid-north coast towns and covered cars up to their windshields, after fast-rising waters burst river banks. At their peak, the floods isolated around 50,000 people.
Australia has been hit with more 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. - Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
10 hours ago
- The Star
At least 50 people missing after flash floods in Indian Himalayan town, TV says
(Reuters) -More than 50 people were missing after a village was washed away in flash floods in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, the NDTV news channel said on Tuesday. Visuals on local TV channels showed flood waters surging down a mountain and crashing into a hamlet at the foothills, sweeping away houses and a road in Uttarkashi town in the Himalayas. There was likely to be damage because of an increase in water levels in the Harshil area of Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand police said in a post on X, asking residents to stay away from rivers. Uttarakhand, which is located in the Himalayas, is increasingly prone to flash floods and landslides, which some experts blame on climate change. (Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by YP Rajesh)
The Sun
11 hours ago
- The Sun
Japan hits record 41.8°C as heat threatens rice crops
TOKYO: Japan registered its highest temperature on record at 41.8 degrees Celsius (107.2°F) on Tuesday, with authorities urging residents to stay indoors and warning of potential harm to rice crops. The eastern city of Isesaki in Gunma prefecture surpassed the previous record of 41.2°C set last week in Tamba, Hyogo prefecture, according to the meteorological agency. More than 53,000 people have been hospitalized for heatstroke this summer, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency reported. 'Today is murderously hot,' said Takeshi Ishikawa, a 63-year-old auto worker in Tokyo. 'If it gets to 42 degrees, it would be hotter than my bath that I prepare at 40 degrees.' Japan's average temperatures have risen steadily, with July marking the third consecutive year of record highs. Meanwhile, the northeastern region near the Sea of Japan faces critically low rainfall, worsening fears over rice yields. Rising heat has also led to increased stink bug infestations in rice-growing areas. Farm Minister Shinjiro Koizumi stressed the urgency of addressing heat-related damage. 'We need to act with speed and a sense of crisis to prevent damage,' he said, announcing government support for pest control and drought measures. Last year's extreme heat severely impacted rice quality, causing shortages and soaring prices. - Reuters
The Star
12 hours ago
- The Star
Japan sets record temperatures, worries mount over rice crops
Visitors holding parasols walk along Nakamise street at the Asakusa district, a popular sightseeing spot, as the Japanese government issued a heatstroke alert in Tokyo and other prefectures due to a heatwave, in Tokyo, Japan August 5, 2025. REUTERS/Issei Kato TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan recorded its highest-ever temperature of 41.8 degrees Celsius (107.2 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, prompting the government to advise residents to stay indoors and promise steps to ease weather-related damage to rice crops. The eastern city of Isesaki, in Gunma prefecture, set the record to surpass the previous high of 41.2 degrees Celsius marked last week in the western city of Tamba in Hyogo prefecture, the country's meteorological agency said. So far this summer, more than 53,000 people have been taken to hospital for heat stroke, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Average temperatures across Japan have continued to climb after marking a record high in July for the third year in a row, while the northeastern region along the Sea of Japan saw critically low levels of rainfall, raising concerns over the rice harvest. High temperatures have caused a proliferation of stink bugs in some rice-growing areas, even as the government is set to officially adopt a new policy on Tuesday of increased rice production to prevent future shortages. "We need to act with speed and a sense of crisis to prevent damage" from high temperatures, Farm Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at a press conference. The government will offer support for pest control and measures to tackle drought, he said. Extreme heat in 2023 had damaged the quality of rice, causing an acute shortage last year that was exacerbated by the government's misreading of supply and demand. That led to historically high prices of the all-important staple food, causing a national crisis. (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
