Hundreds airlifted after floods cut off communities in Australia

Authorities in northwest Australia send military helicopters to rescue people after record-breaking floods inundate the region  

Major rescue efforts are underway in the Kimberly region of Australia, after heavy rains brought by a tropical cyclone have resulted in some of the worst flooding ever recorded.

Officials leading the rescue efforts are using the help of military helicopters to save hundreds of people from the community, who are now completely cut off after the water started rising.  

“Water covered some places as far as the eye could see as western Australis has been hit by once in a lifetime flood”, said Stephen Dawson, Minister Western Australia Emergency Services, in a quote cited by Reuters.  

“People in the Kimberley are experiencing a one-in-100-year flood event, the worst flooding Western Australia has had in its history.” 

Dawson also said that in some parts of the region, the flood waters stretched for over 50 kilometres.   

The recent floods come after Australia faced severe inundation over the last two years.  

Some of the parts of its eastern regions have already faced four major floods since last year.   

Authorities said that over 50 percent of the residents of Kimberly are Aboriginal. Since the rescue efforts began, over 233 people have been evacuated due to flooding.  

Meanwhile, a statement by the Australian bureau of meteorology said that the rains have eased, as they have now shifted eastwards, heading towards the north. They have now issued a warning for “a record-breaking major flooding”.  

The prime minister of Australia Anthony Albanese also made a statement earlier and described the flooding as “devastating”. He has also pledged federal assistance.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.