Wellington, New Zealand – The Australian Prime Minister warned that the consequences of a vicious tropical storm over the weekend were “far from” as parts of the two states remained flooded by dangerous flooding, even as the initial threat of flooding continues to retreat.
One person was killed and several others slammed Australia’s east coast in heavy rain on Saturday, falling down trees and power lines and flooded certain parts of Queensland and New South Wales with record-breaking downpours. The two states escaped the chaotic forecast levels of the tropical low-weather system, which was earlier expected to make the landing the first tropical cyclone in 51 years to hit southeast Queensland, and then weaken as it approaches.
Still, on Monday afternoon, in the area, there were 200,000 homes and businesses in the area after the largest power outage in Queensland history, the area had no power – more than 700 schools were closed that day.
People living near rivers and streams are urging to continue evacuating or staying indoors in certain areas – more rainfall forecasts during the day will trigger further warnings. The city of Ipswich, west of Brisbane, declared a disaster and floods are expected overnight. People in the surrounding suburbs were ordered to leave their homes.
Meanwhile, in other towns where floods began to retreat, as tens of thousands of people recovered, electricity began. The scale of damage is not yet known.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters on Monday that starting Tuesday, he would be eligible for 13 weeks of benefits payments starting on Tuesday.
In Lismore, New South Wales, two military trucks helped with rescue work on Saturday, hurting 13 of the 36 people. Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said there were no lives still injured in the hospital on Monday.
Police said one death in the crisis was a 61-year-old man who disappeared from a flooded river near Dorrigo, New South Wales. His body was recovered Saturday.
Albanis warned residents of the two affected countries not to be “complacent” like flood warnings.
“If it is flooded, forget it,” he said.
Tornados are common in Queensland’s tropical northern region, but are rare in the temperate and densely populated southeast corner of the state, bordering New South Wales. Tropical cyclone Alfred is expected to be the first cyclone to cross the Australian coast since 1974, the third largest population city in Australia.
But it weakened Saturday to tropical lows, defined as sustained airflow below 39 mph.
Authorities are concerned that similar scenarios experienced in eastern Australia, which suffered massive floods in 2011, had more than 20 people died in a series of 2022 events.
