Renewed Flooding Due to Heavy Rain Threatens Southeast Australia This Week

Renewed flooding due to heavy rain threatens Southeast Australia once again, according to Australian weather authorities.

Torrential rain over the past week caused new flash floods in New South Wales and Victoria, inundating bridges, highways, homes, and other establishments.

The inclement weather also caused widespread evacuation and displacement of thousands of people.

Various media reports called the event in Eastern Australia as the fourth flood crisis or fourth major flooding this year, caused by a rare multi-year La Nina climate pattern.

The weather phenomenon is also attributed for the devastating flooding in the Australian region earlier this year.

Riverine flooding is one of the major precursors of floodwaters due to the overflowing of bodies of water during a heavy downpour.

Southeast Australia Flood Threat

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) on Monday, November 14, stated widespread rain and thunderstorms made an impact in large parts of Southeast Australia during the past weekend, when flash flooding struck multiple towns and left some with localized damage.

The following areas or sites were affected as of Monday:

• Tuena, New South Wales
• Forbes Airport, New South Wales
• Orange, New South Wales
• Bathurst, New South Wales
• Mount Hotham, Victoria
• Tallandoon, Victoria
• Rutherglen, Victoria
• Yankalilla, South Australia

Following the recent rainfall, the BoM stated renewed or prolonged flooding is likely to develop across many catchments areas across Southeast Australia; where flood watches are still in places since rivers could overflow from rainfall and lead to flooding.

Rooftop Rescue Operations

The recent floodwaters not only forced some residents in the Australian region to evacuate, but the adverse weather also prompted a number of inhabitants to remain in their homes and take shelter amid the raging waters.

In fact, emergency workers rescued hundreds of people on rooftops and trees as the floodwaters rapidly risen in New South Wales.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) cited the state's emergency services report on Tuesday that at least 200 people were rescued from the floods which hit several towns within 24 hours, Al Jazeera reported.

Mayor Phyllis Miller told ABC Television that they could not believe this could happen within a short span of time.

As local authorities received approximately 900 calls for help, the NSW Rural Fire Service reportedly stated its helicopters saved almost 70 people, with some of them clinging to branches of trees and trapped on their rooftops.

Fourth Major Flooding

The Australia flash flooding where thousands have been evacuated is the country's fourth major flooding in 2022, as dozens of schools have been forced to close and thousands of homes suffered from power outages, according to a video report by the BBC.

Heavy rain, fueled by La Nina, led to the unprecedent flash flooding this November, which is in line with predictions of scientists that climate change can aggravate and cause extreme weather conditions.

In the case of Australia, the said weather phenomenon is dumping more precipitation from the Pacific Ocean into the country, which has been the situation since the past three years.