Damage assessments begin in NSW after floods destroy homes, cut off towns, and damage 10,000+ properties
\nWeb Desk
\nSYDNEY
\nAustralian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday the clean-up had begun in the country\u2019s southeast after floods killed five people and inundated more than 10,000 properties.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re continuing to work closely across federal, state and local governments to make sure Australians get the support they need now and through recovery,\u201d Albanese said on social media platform X.
\nDamage assessments were under way in New South Wales\u2019 hard-hit mid-north coast region after floods this week cut off towns, swept away livestock and destroyed homes, the state\u2019s emergency services agency said. It estimated that at least 10,000 properties may have been damaged.
\nConditions had improved since Friday in the affected areas of Australia\u2019s most populous state, the agency said.
\nEven so, hundreds of flood-hit residents were still in evacuation centres, State Emergency Services commissioner Mike Wassing said at a media conference in Sydney, with 52 flood rescues being made overnight.
\nThe latest flood-linked death was that of a man in his 80s, whose body was found at a flooded property about 50 km (31 miles) from Taree, one of the worst-hit towns, police said.
\nAlbanese, forced on Friday to cancel a trip to Taree due to floodwaters, said it was \u201cawful to hear the news of more loss of life\u201d. Taree sits along the Manning River more than 300 km (186 miles) north of Sydney.
\n\u201cAll of our thoughts are with his loved ones and the community at this time,\u201d Albanese said in a statement.
\nThe floods, sparked by days of incessant rain, submerged intersections and street signs in mid-north coast towns and covered cars up to their windshields, after fast-rising waters burst river banks. At their peak, the floods isolated around 50,000 people.
\nAustralia has been hit with more extreme weather events that some experts say are the result of climate change. After droughts and devastating bushfires at the end of last decade, frequent floods have wreaked havoc since early 2021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Damage assessments begin in NSW after floods destroy homes, cut off towns, and damage 10,000+ properties Web Desk SYDNEY Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday the clean-up had begun in the country\u2019s southeast after floods killed five people and inundated more than 10,000 properties. \u201cWe\u2019re continuing to work closely across federal, state and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":480674,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-480664","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n