Aerial footage showed a harrowing scene as a line of cars and several horses were stranded on a bridge after floodwaters cut access to both ends.
Published Mar. 1, 2022 2:19 PM EST | Updated Mar. 1, 2022 3:38 PM EST
Recovery efforts are beginning in Australia following days of excessive rainfall across the states of Queensland and New South Wales in eastern Australia that left thousands of properties and entire neighborhoods underwater. More rain is on the way for some of the hardest-hit areas, AccuWeather forecasters warn.
As of Tuesday, the rising waters had resulted in at least 10 deaths, and thousands were under evacuation orders, according to The Associated Press.
Emergency departments deployed boats to help rescue residents from the rising floodwaters and helicopters airlifted those who were stranded on rooftops.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who announced that he tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, said the government will continue to focus on the emergency response to the flooding in New South Wales and Queensland.
In this photo provided by the Fraser Coast Regional Council, water floods streets and houses in Maryborough, Australia, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. Heavy rain is bringing record flooding to some east coast areas while the flooding in Brisbane, a population of 2.6 million, and its surrounds is the worst since 2011 when the city was inundated by what was described as a once-in-a-century event. (Queensland Fire and Emergency Services via AP)
One of the hardest-hit cities was Lismore, a city in the northeastern corner of New South Wales, approximately 125 miles (200 km) south of Brisbane. In downtown Lismore, streets became raging rivers as harrowing video taken in the area captured water levels approaching the second floor of local businesses.
Water levels of the Richmond River, in the nearby town of Woodburn, rose so quickly on Monday that dozens of cars became trapped on a bridge. With both ends of the bridge underwater, travelers, several of whom had horses, emerged from their vehicles looking for help.
The 50 people who were trapped by the water were rescued from the bridge early Tuesday, officials said.
“We had no capabilities to get them off in the dark so we just had to make sure that they bunkered down and we went in this morning and got them all out,” Woodburn State Emergency Services Commander Ashley Slapp told the AP.
Monday's heavy rainfall triggered a landslide and made a roadway impassable in the area of Ramornie National Park. In Mitchelton, a suburb of Brisbane, heavy rains destroyed a soccer pitch, leaving the artificial turf playing surface ripped and in a wrinkled mess.
A soccer pitch was damaged after heavy rain triggered flash flooding in Mitchelton, Queensland, on Feb. 28.
Meanwhile, Sydney reported just over 9 inches (about 230 mm) of rain during the final week of February, which is almost three times the normal amount of rain the city receives for the entire month. AccuWeather meteorologists say more rain is on the way for the Harbour City and others across eastern Australia.
"Rounds of rain are expected to continue up and down the Queensland and New South Wales coasts through the middle of the week," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tyler Roys.
Roys warned that several more inches (up to 100 mm) of rain could fall anywhere along the coast.
In anticipation of the additional rainfall, New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said 40,000 people had been ordered to evacuate, with as many as 300,000 others under evacuation warnings in what he called "unprecedented flooding."
According to the AP, this is the worst flooding the region has seen since a 2011 event that was described as a once-in-a-century event. Jonathan Howe, a meteorologist for Australia's Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), described the flooding as "astronomical."
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Before the heavy rain shifted southward into New South Wales, AccuWeather reported early this week that rainfall amounts of 24.1 inches (611.6 mm) descended on the Brisbane area. This broke the record for the highest three-day rainfall in the city's recorded history. The city's previous rain record for a three-day period was 23.6 inches (600.4 mm) in 1974.
“It’s unrelenting. It’s just coming down in buckets. It’s not a waterfall, it’s like waves of water just coming down,” Annastacia Palaszczuk, the premier of Queensland, told the Brisbane Times.
The deluge left few areas untouched by floodwaters, with scenes of submerged vehicles common throughout the region. Reuters reported that more than 1,400 homes in Brisbane were at risk of flooding, while tens of thousands of power outages have been reported.
The torrent of water swamped local rivers, sending dozens into major flood stage. By Monday morning, local time, the major flood levels peaked on the Brisbane River during high tide at 12.63 feet (3.85 meters), according to the BOM. The raging water sent debris into boardwalks and eateries that line the river.
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