Over 10,000 properties damaged in floodwaters in Australia

Sydney, May 24 (IANS) Emergency service authority of Australia's state of New South Wales (NSW) said on Saturday that early estimates suggest more than 10,000 properties have been damaged in floodwaters in the state's eastern regions.

The State Emergency Service (SES) Chief Superintendent Paul McQueen told reporters on Saturday morning that crews would be "out in force" to start the damage assessment process.

"I reiterate this is still a dangerous situation where significant impacts to infrastructure and properties are likely to have occurred," he said.

"Unfortunately, it is not possible to let people return to their homes until water further subsides and we're sure they can access their homes and communities safely."

The NSW Police said in a statement on Friday evening that rescue officers found a body inside a burnt-out vehicle at a property on the flood-hit Mid North Coast.

It marks the fifth death in the widespread flooding crisis that has hit the Mid North Coast and surrounding regions following five consecutive days of torrential rainfall, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on May 23, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns toured the regions north of Sydney that have been inundated by widespread flooding following five consecutive days of torrential rainfall.

As of Friday afternoon, more than 50,000 people remained cut off by flooding, and emergency services were continuing to conduct rescue operations by boat and helicopter.

As of Friday afternoon, emergency services had conducted 736 flood rescue operations in total.

The severe weather system that brought the torrential rainfall moved south on Friday and, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), could move out of NSW by midnight.

Despite the easing conditions, authorities have warned that river levels could continue to rise.

As around 50,000 residents across the NSW Mid North Coast and Hunter regions are urged to prepare to evacuate, experts are warning that entering floodwaters poses one of the most significant threats to life.

"Four-wheel drives may provide a false sense of security when attempting to cross floodwater, but research shows that 75 per cent of all floodwater-related fatalities in the past 15 years are associated with these vehicles," Natural Hazards Research Australia CEO Andrew Gissing said in a statement.

He cited research showing that 84 per cent of motorists ignore road closure signs, and that young people, particularly men under the age of 29, make up the majority of flood-related deaths.

Research conducted after the devastating 2022 floods in northern NSW and southern Queensland revealed that nearly two-thirds of floodwater fatalities occur within 20 km of people's homes, underscoring the dangers residents face in familiar surroundings.

--IANS

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