Australian Prime Minister Albanese visits flood-hit Victoria as flood crisis continues

SYDNEY – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the tour would take place on Sunday Flood-affected areas in Victoria Three states, including Melbourne, continued to grapple with flooding crises caused by days of heavy rain.

Emergency warnings have been issued for flood-affected Victoria, southern New South Wales and northern Tasmania regions after the weather system brought more than a month of rain to the southeast earlier this week.

The crisis came after Australia’s eastern states were hit by severe flooding in early 2022. 3 consecutive years of La Niña weather events, bring heavy rain.

“I’m flying to Bendigo this morning. I’m going to meet with the (Victorian) Prime Minister, Daniel Andrews, and go to the emergency centre…then I’ll also go to Melbourne,” Albanese said Sunday morning. told ABC Radio.

“This is a very serious weather phenomenon that is affecting not only urban communities, but local communities across Victoria.”

In Victoria, where the flooding was worst, the focus was on the north, especially in the city of Shepperton, where it was said it was too late for residents to evacuate.

Victorian authorities have reported an emergency First flood deaths on Saturday After the body of a man was found in flood waters in Rochester, about 200 kilometers north of Melbourne,

In Melbourne, flood cleanup was underway after the Mulliveenon River burst its banks on Friday, flooding suburbs close to the central business district.

The controversial flood barrier saved Melbourne’s iconic Flemington Racecourse from flooding, but some blame it for exacerbating flooding in nearby residential areas.

“Right now, there are 60 Australian Defense Force personnel on the ground, doing their part as the Defense Force has always done, such as assisting with evacuations, assisting with sandbags,” Albanese said.

Across the border in New South Wales, 71 warnings were issued on Sunday, with officials particularly concerned about flooding in the inland towns of Forbes, Nalandra and Moama.

Tasmania currently has 22 flood warnings in force, most of them near Launceston, the state’s second largest city.Reuters