Residents in eastern regions express frustration over slow relief and recovery while Sydney braces for more heavy downpours as part of what PM Morrison calls “floods that we have not seen in living memory.”
Frustration has swelled among many
flood-hit residents in Australia’s east over slow relief and
recovery efforts as Sydney braced for more heavy downpours over
the next two days that may hamper clean-up plans.
Thousands were forced to flee their homes after torrential
rains since late last month brought widespread destruction,
cutting off towns, and sweeping away farms, livestock and roads.
Eighteen people have been killed since the deluge began.
“These are terrible, terrible floods,” Prime Minister Scott
Morrison told radio station 2GB on Monday.
“These are floods
that we have not seen in living memory in anyone’s lifetime, and
even before that. And so I can understand the great frustration
(we are) seeing expressed.”
More defence force personnel are being sent to
flood-affected areas immediately to lead the recovery, said
Morrison, who is trailing in polls ahead of a federal election
due by May.
Residents have been taking stock of the damage over the
weekend while struggling to clear debris and sludge after water
levels receded in some places.
“We’ve had a week of no communications, no food, no fuel …
it has been quite unnerving and emotional,” a resident in far
northern New South Wales town of Murwillumbah, among the worst
hit by record floods, told broadcaster ABC.
Recovery could take years
State Premier Dominic Perrottet, on a tour of the flood-hit
regions, said the recovery could take years.
“The stories that we’ve heard, the sense of abandonment that
many people had in devastating circumstances is heartbreaking,
and we need to ensure it doesn’t happen again,” he said.
Rains have eased over the last two days but the weather
bureau on Monday issued a ‘severe warning’ for parts of New
South Wales, including state capital Sydney, as a second intense
low-pressure system forms off the east coast in as many weeks.
The Bureau of Meteorology forecast rains of up to 120 mm in Sydney on Monday and 150 mm Tuesday. Several suburbs have already received more than double March’s mean rainfall of around 140 mm.
Source: Reuters
Frustration swells in Australia over slow flood relief
Source: Pinay Pop Showbiz
