Worst Floods Hit Australia In a Decade; 10 Dead, Thousands Displaced

Tens of thousands of people were told to evacuate their homes by Tuesday as portions of Australia’s southeast coast were swamped by the worst flood in more than a decade, and hundreds or even thousands more were urged to prepare to flee. In a wake of the catastrophe, at least ten people have died.

In the town of Lismore in the state’s north, a fast-rising flood stranded hundreds of inhabitants, including many with pets, on their roofs.

On Monday night, hundreds of vehicles were trapped on a bridge in the neighboring Woodburn area, with both approaches waterlogged. On Tuesday, officials said up to 50 people were saved from the bridge.

Floodwaters from Queensland were pouring south into New South Wales, causing the region’s biggest calamity since a once-in-a-century occurrence in 2011.

Officials claimed 40,000 residents had been told to evacuate and another 300,000 had been warned to leave. Queensland has been the site of nine of the ten deaths thus far. A 76-year-old man has been confirmed dead after his vehicle was lost in flooding northwest of Brisbane on Sunday.

Flood’s effect on Brisbane, Australia’s third-largest city!

Despite further storms expected later this week, the cleanup in Brisbane, Australia’s third-largest city, was beginning. Hundreds of homes in Brisbane were flooded on Sunday, many by swelling creeks in districts like Ashgrove, where Kelvin Barfoot and his family, including his 99-year-old mother-in-law Mina Baker, had to flee in a State Emergency Service rescue boat.

The family re-entered their two-story home on the top level and began removing damaged furniture and electronic equipment that had been submerged by nearly 1.5 meters (5 feet) of water.