Australia starts flood cleanup after five deaths, thousands of properties damaged

SYDNEY: Following floods that destroyed over 10,000 properties and claimed five lives, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Saturday that cleanup has started in the southeast of the country.

Albanese wrote on X: "We're continuing to work closely across federal, state, and local governments to make sure Australians get the support they need now and through recovery."

Damage assessments were under way in New South Wales' hard-hit mid-north coast region after floods this week cut off towns, swept away livestock and destroyed homes, the state's emergency services agency said. It estimated that at least 10,000 properties may have been damaged.

Conditions had improved since Friday in the affected areas of Australia's most populous state, the agency said.

Even 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.

The 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.

Albanese, forced on Friday to cancel a trip to Taree due to floodwaters, said it was "awful to hear the news of more loss of life". Taree sits along the Manning River more than 300 km (186 miles) north of Sydney.

"All of our thoughts are with his loved ones and the community at this time," Albanese said in a statement.

The 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.

Australia 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.