SYDNEY, May 24 — The body of a man was found in a car trapped in floodwaters in Australia's southeast on Friday, raising the death toll to four, after three days of incessant rain cut off entire towns, swept away livestock and destroyed homes.
The police said the man was found near Coffs Harbour, around 550 km north of Sydney. The search continued for a person missing since the deluge began early this week.
Emergency services personnel said around 50,000 people are still isolated, while residents returning to their flooded homes were warned to watch out for danger.
"Floodwaters have contaminants, there can be vermin, snakes...so you need to assess those risks. Electricity can also pose a danger as well," state Emergency Services Deputy Commissioner Damien Johnston said during a press briefing.
Television videos showed submerged intersections and street signs, cars up to their windshields in water, after fast-rising waters burst river banks in the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia's most populous state.
Debris from the floods, and dead and lost livestock have washed up on the coast.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had to cancel his planned visit to Taree, one of the worst-hit towns, due to floodwaters.
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A woman holds a bag at a flooded house as she is rescued by rescue personnel in Pampoolah, New South Wales, Australia, May 21, 2025, in this screengrab taken from a handout video. — Picture by REUTERS via WESTPAC LIFE SAVER RESCUE HELICOPTER[/caption]
"We did try...but that was not possible due to the circumstance, which I am sure people understand.
"But our thoughts are with communities that are cut off at this point in time. And we are here to basically say, very clearly, and explicitly: you are not alone," he told the press from the town of Maitland in the Hunter region.
Australia has been enduring more extreme weather events that some experts say are happening because of climate change. After droughts and devastating bushfires at the end of the last decade, frequent floods have wreaked havoc since early 2021.
"What once were rare downpours are now becoming the new normal — climate change is rewriting Australia's weather patterns, one flood at a time," ClimaMeter weather researcher Davide Faranda said in a statement.
Disruptions in Sydney
A wild weather system that dumped around four months of rain over three days shifted south towards Sydney on Thursday, bringing heavy rain overnight, although the weather bureau, in its latest update, said it is expected to ease by Friday evening.
Water on the rail tracks impacted some suburban train lines in Sydney, including its airport line services. On Friday morning, Sydney Airport was forced to shut down two of its three runways for one hour due to strong winds, delaying flights.
Officials have cautioned that Warragamba Dam, which supplies 80 per cent of Sydney's water supply and is currently at around 96 per cent of capacity, could spill over.
— Reuters
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A drone view shows a flooded area in Tinonee, New South Wales, Australia, following heavy rains on May 21, 2025. — Picture by REUTERS[/caption]
