Flood victims confront damage after record deluge in eastern Australia

AFP | Taree

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Flood victims confronted damage from a record deluge in eastern Australia yesterday, returning to find their homes caked in silt, cars half-submerged and streets littered with debris.

Four bodies have been pulled from floodwater in northern New South Wales, a fertile region of rivers and valleys about 400 kilometres (250 miles) from Sydney.

The storms dumped more than six months’ worth of rain over three days, according to the government weather bureau, smashing records in some areas.

In Taree, one of the worst-hit towns, the swollen Manning River broke a 96-year record.

People picked through piles of sodden trash dumped in the town centre, searching for anything salvageable.

Rescue worker Jason Harvey said the immediate flood emergency was over but the clean-up had just begun.

“Emotions were high as we were rescuing a lot of people who are distraught when we get to them,” he told AFP.

“We are now at that clean-up stage. I am glad it is over,” he said.

The rising tides cut off tens of thousands of people, forcing some to clamber atop cars, houses and highway bridges before helicopters winched them away.

Rescue crews have plucked more than 600 people to safety since the waters started rising earlier this week.

State Emergency Service head Dallas Burnes warned that even as the floods recede, the stagnant, muddy lakes still pose a threat, including from snakes that may have slithered into homes.

“Floodwaters have contaminants. There can be vermin, snakes. You need to assess those risks.
Electricity can also pose a danger as well.”

He said recovery efforts were focused on “resupplying the isolated communities.”