Australian officials said at least eight people had been killed as heavy rains battered the country's northeastern region over the weekend. Days of heavy downpour caused major floods, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate.
As of Monday, major cities in Queensland, including the state's capital of Brisbane, were still submerged. Many streets and roads were severely flooded, and damage to structures was estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Seven of the eight people that were killed by the floods were reportedly from Queensland, while one of the victims was from New South Wales. One of those killed was a 59-year-old man from Brisbane who was swept away by floodwaters as he was trying to cross a road. Another victim was a 34-year-old man who drowned inside his submerged vehicle. Authorities said a volunteer emergency worker had also died as she was on her way to help a family trapped inside their house.
Schools and businesses were forced to close down, and thousands of homes have been left still under floodwaters. The typically-busy street of Milton was still flooded as of Monday morning.
Officials said the floods had damaged more than 18,000 homes across Queensland. More than 1,000 people had to be evacuated as floodwaters rose. Officials said more than 53,000 homes are still without power as of Monday morning.
The state premier of Queensland, Annastacia Palaszczuk, described the weather that hit the state as a "rain bomb." She said during a conference that rain just fell down from the sky "in buckets," and waves of water swept through major residential areas. Palaszczuk said emergency services were overwhelmed, and some people had to resort to posting on social media to call for help.
The storm system is reportedly now heading to New South Wales, where the town of Lismore is witnessing record-breaking floods. Torrential rain caught officials off guard Sunday night, giving people little time to flee, leaving many stuck on roofs as floodwaters surged.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the situation in the northeastern part of the country was "very concerning." He urged people to stay in their homes if they could as more rain is expected.
Over the last few years, Australia has been battered by particularly severe weather, including catastrophic wildfires, drought, and widespread flooding. Weather experts said that country, which has a landmass the size of the continental United States and is surrounded by climate-altering waters, has been subjected to weather extremes for millennia. Climate change has also been blamed as the cause of increased extreme weather throughout the country.
