The Australian resort town of Byron Bay, popular with celebrities with its idyllic beaches, suffered heavy flooding on Wednesday as severe storms battered the country’s east coast.
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Torrential rains have not stopped since Monday, with more than 250 mm falling in the region in 24 hours. Many businesses in central Byron Bay had to close after rising waters blocked traffic. The main street, usually bustling, but practically empty on Wednesday morning, was transformed into a river of muddy water. Nearby, the town of Alstonville saw 420 mm of rain fall in 24 hours. On Wednesday morning, thousands of people had to leave their homes to take refuge in higher places.
For weeks, eastern Australia has been experiencing extreme weather conditions, fueled by the La Nina phenomenon and climate change. In early February, at least 22 people died in flooding caused by record rainfall.
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In Lismore, where water had risen to 14.3 meters last month, the town’s seawall gave way again on Wednesday morning, emergency services confirmed. Local MP Justine Elliot warned residents on social media that the seawall’s siren would not go off due to a malfunction. “You have to leave now”she urged on Twitter.
When the Lismore seawall gave way in February, floodwaters poured into the center of the town, reaching the second floors of many homes and businesses, forcing hundreds of residents to take shelter on their roofs. Water levels could reach 11.4 meters this week in the city, hampering clean-up operations, according to forecasts.
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“Unfortunately, in the night, our worst fears came true”, Emergency Services Minister Stephanie Cooke said on Wednesday. The heavy rains that fell on already saturated land caused “flash floods in a number of places”she added, and several landslides have also occurred in the area.
During a visit to Lismore following the February floods, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the country “was becoming difficult to live with because of these disasters”.