Hundreds airlifted as ‘once in century’ floods hit Australia
Australia has dispatched military helicopters to airlift hundreds of people to safety after the country’s northwest was hit by “once-in-a-century” flooding. The crisis in the sparsely populated state of Kimberley began last week in the wake of former tropical cyclone Ellie, which brought heavy rain to the region.
An official leading the relief efforts said that water covered some places “as far as (the) eye could see”. “The water is everywhere,” Western Australia emergency services minister Stephen Dawson told reporters in Perth. “People in the Kimberley are experiencing a one-in-100-year flood event, the worst flooding Western Australia has had in its history.
The crisis is “far from over” as the cyclone moves east of the country, reported The Weekend Australian. The rainfall is
expected to hit the coast of Queensland next.