Sydney

A helicopter was deployed on Sunday to drop animal feed for farmers in New South Wales, Australia, and has since been stranded due to floods that have claimed five lives and affected tens of thousands of people in the southeastern region of the country.

In the northern coastal areas of Australia’s most populous state, recovery efforts are in progress after the floods isolated towns, displaced livestock, and destroyed homes. Officials anticipate that around 10,000 properties could be damaged, attributing the crisis to relentless rainfall.

The emergency services in the state, as noted on the X Platform, have begun to gradually withdraw, leaving approximately 32,000 residents quarantined as a result of the flooding.

State Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty stated, “The New South Wales government offers emergency feed, veterinary assistance, management advice, and aerial support for isolated livestock.”

So far, there have been 43 helicopter deliveries and roughly 130 other drop-offs to provide “isolated farmers with emergency feed for their stranded livestock.”

At the height of the flooding, about 50,000 individuals were cut off, with intersections and street signs submerged in the northern coastal town, while rapidly rising waters eroded riverbanks and even reached car windshields.

Five fatalities have been confirmed in connection with the flooding. The most recent victim, a man in his eighties, was discovered in a flooded facility about 50 km (30 miles) from Tully, which is situated along the Manning River, over 300 km (190 miles) north of Sydney, the state capital.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed the situation on Saturday, emphasizing the significance of the recovery in flood-affected areas of New South Wales as cleanup operations commenced.

Australia has been enduring a rise in extreme weather events that some experts attribute to climate change. Following a series of droughts and devastating wildfires at the decade’s end, recurrent flooding has wreaked havoc since early 2021.