Emergency crews across Australia were mopping up damage and responding to calls for help Monday following fierce weekend storms, while residents of at least two south-eastern towns evacuated their homes due to rising floodwaters.
In Wangaratta, Victoria, fast-moving muddy water flowed through streets and buildings after overflowing the Ovens and King rivers. About 1,000 residents began evacuating their homes Monday. In the state’s west, residents of Skipton were evacuated to a football field.
On the south coast of New South Wales state, roofs were ripped from houses and windows smashed as gale-force winds tore through the region on Saturday and Sunday. About 12,300 homes were still without power Monday morning and emergency services were scrambling to respond to calls.
Of the 1,600 calls received on the weekend, the State Emergency Services still needed to attend to 1,100 as of Monday, spokeswoman Erin Pogmore said.
In the state of South Australia, emergency workers responded to more than 2,000 calls during the weekend storms. Gusts of more than 60 miles per hour (100 kilometres per hour) and lightning strikes downed trees and power lines as state capital Adelaide recorded 80 percent of its September rainfall in just three days.
