The torrential rains that have been battering southeastern Australia for several days began to ease on Saturday. But the floods they caused apparently killed one person, police said.
A 71-year-old man was ‘found dead in floodwaters in the backyard’ of his property in Rochester, a small town north of Melbourne, local police said, saying the exact circumstances of the death remain to be determined.
In three states in south-eastern Australia, floodwaters swamped cars and inundated homes, with Melbourne’s suburbs among the hardest hit.
Evacuation orders
On Saturday, the precipitation easing, the inhabitants of the affected areas waded through muddy streets littered with all kinds of debris and wrecked cars. Evacuation orders remain in place for dozens of locations.
“It’s serious, it’s potentially very, very dangerous,” warned Victorian Premier Dan Andrews.
Climate change
The eastern coast of Australia has been affected for two years by repeated extreme weather phenomena.
In March, the region was hit hard by severe flooding, which claimed 20 lives. And in July, thousands of Sydney residents were forced from their homes by heavy rains.
Australia is on the frontline of the consequences of climate change, with floods, bushfires, cyclones and droughts becoming more frequent and intense as the planet heats up, scientists warn.
/ATS