WA volunteers, staff to fly east to flood disaster zone
Mark McGowan has promised to send more West Australians across the country to help out with disaster relief in the flood-ravaged eastern states.
As residents in Victoria, Queensland, NSW and Tasmania brace for more damaging storms and flooding, the Premier on Sunday said he would be liaising with Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson to make sure WA could provide further assistance.
“We expect tomorrow we’ll be sending a team of people — volunteers and staff — to assist in the eastern states from Western Australia,” he said.
“We’re hopeful of 20 to 40 people heading off initially to assist with the disaster recovery efforts.”
Australian Defence Force crews and emergency service workers remain in overdrive as Australia’s east coast continues to be smashed by heavy thunderstorms and rain, with multiple alerts warning people to flee parts of NSW, Victorian and Queensland towns and cities.
Residents in the Victorian border town of Echuca were warned on Sunday to evacuate as the region experiences its worst flooding in decades.
Another alert for the Campaspe River at Echuca, downstream of Rochester, warned people to move to higher ground as they were “in danger”.
In NSW, residents in multiple streets of South Moree, on the banks of the Mehi River, were urged to evacuate early on Sunday and flood warnings remain current for many NSW catchments, including the Orara and Macleay catchments.
A separate flood watch is current for the Inland Rivers and the Wollombi Brook, Lower Hunter, Hawkesbury Nepean and Colo Rivers.
In Queensland, multiple flood and weather warnings were issued for parts of the south-east coast, Darling Downs and the Granite Belt districts on Sunday.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast 24-hourly rainfall totals of between 100 to 150mm could eventuate across the region.
In some parts of the south-east, rainfall of up to 300mm could drench the coast and ranges.
In Tasmania, watch and act flood alerts have been issued for the Macquarie River.
