Rescue workers evacuated more than 100 people from rooftops on Monday after flash floods inundated a small town in eastern Australia, authorities said.
Heavy rains over the weekend, which battered much of the already soaked state of New South Wales, increased water levels overnight and isolated some towns and communities.
In Eugowra, a city of around 800 people 350 kilometers west of Sydney, many residents rushed to the roofs to seek shelter.
Local TV stations showed the city turning into a murky, muddy lake, dotted only with rooftops and trees above the water.
“We had 140 flood-related rescue operations in the city of Eugowra alone. More than 100 of them were roof rescues,” NSW Emergency Services Minister Stephanie Cooke said.
The stranded people were brought to safety by boats and helicopters, she said, and considered the situation “very serious, not only in Eugowra but in many places”.
According to state emergency services, 173 rescue operations have been carried out there since Monday morning.
New Zealand dispatched 12 people to help Australia with the floods on Monday, Ms Cooke said, and New South Wales emergency services are also in touch with US and Singapore authorities for additional help.
In this condition, more than 150,000 lightning strikes hit the earth within 24 hours, according to the weather agency.
The town of Forbes, west of Eugowra, received 118mm of rain in 24 hours, the highest daily rainfall in 28 years, the same source said.
The east coast of Australia has been repeatedly hit by heavy rains over the last two years, caused by the successive cycles of the La Nina weather phenomenon.
In March, catastrophic flooding on the east coast killed more than 20 people.
Tens of thousands of Sydney residents were ordered to evacuate in July as renewed flooding ravaged the city’s outskirts.
Scientists think climate change could make flood periods more extreme as warmer air holds more moisture.