![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
. | ![]() |
. |
![]()
Sydney (AFP) April 2, 2009 Food and supplies were on Thursday dropped by helicopter to some 2,300 people stranded by flash flooding on Australia's east coast, officials said. Thousands of residents were trapped and hundreds more evacuated when a sudden deluge hit towns around Coffs Harbour, about 570 kilometres (350 miles) north of Sydney late Tuesday. The Clarence Valley region was on Thursday added to the list of towns declared natural disaster zones by the New South Wales state government, clearing the way for them to provide assistance to victims. Steve Whan, the state's emergency services minister, said 2,270 people remained stranded across the region, and were being dropped emergency rations, with their isolation likely to continue into the weekend. "The State Emergency Service is continuing to monitor their welfare," Whan said. "We do have helicopters operating in the area and they drop in supplies and do supply runs." Flash flood warnings were in place for the region, the weather bureau said, with some heavy falls expected overnight north of Coffs Harbour. "Locally heavy rain in the northern rivers possibly extending to the northern parts of mid-north coast, may cause flash flooding," the bureau said. Most beaches in the state remained closed due to dangerous conditions, with waves so high surfers were seen riding waves in the normally tranquil Sydney Harbour, state radio reported. Severe weather has ravaged Australia's east coast in recent months, with a series of cyclones unleashing floods in the north. Tinder-dry conditions in the south prompted savage wildfires in Victoria state last month that claimed 173 lives and razed entire towns. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters When the Earth Quakes A world of storm and tempest
![]() ![]() Several towns on Australia's east coast were declared disaster zones Wednesday after flash floods stranded thousands of people and forced hundreds to be evacuated. |
![]() |
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |