After the wildfires, Australians hoped for rain, but not in these amounts

Severe weather and deep floods have drenched Australia’s east coast, leading to widespread flooding and mass evacuations. Thousands of citizens of New South Wales have been forced to evacuate as the region experiences some of the worst floods in almost 20 years.

The volume of the rainfall causing this crisis is very rare according to scientists. Although it may not be unusual for this time of the year in Australia, the probability for this kind of rainfall to happen is less than 1% in any year.

Some residents of New South Wales saw this event as a good thing since they hoped for rain after the massive bushfires. However, these circumstances lead to major devastation. Australia is currently living in a wet period and the extreme rain went on for an incredibly extensive time. The combination of the two aspects creates a significant risk for flooding, causing this natural disaster.

The climate patterns in three oceans affect Australia’s weather. This summer, the one called “La Niña” was responsible for the higher rainfall and floods. Last year “El Niño” created the dry conditions which caused the bushfires. Both monumental disasters had a horrible impact on the country, and their repercussions affected large parts of the population.

The terrible floods had multiple consequences, affecting humans and animals alike. The fauna has suffered one of the biggest impacts. For example, cows have been found on beaches, canals, and residential areas completely exhausted. Farmers had been looking for their livestock everywhere after the rain. Insects, snakes, and other small animals were discovered in strange spaces, as they tried to escape the water.

The rain has stopped, but much is still uncertain. According to the predictions, the flooding will continue and so will its awful effects. The total impact of the event is unknown, as the floods are still occurring. Although it is not clear, everyone hopes that the end of the disaster is soon approaching.

These flood have been the most severe Australia has seen in almost 20 years

Bibliography

BBC Team. (2021, March 22nd). Australia floods: Cows rescued from swollen rivers and beaches. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-australia-56480142

CNN. (2021, March 22nd). Video shows inundated towns after historic flooding in Australia. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2021/03/22/nsw-floods-australia-video-lon-orig-tp.cnn

Gorman, A. (2021, March 22nd). ‘Horrific’: swarms of spiders flee into homes – and up legs – to escape NSW floods. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/22/horrific-swarms-of-spiders-flee-into-homes-and-up-legs-to-escape-nsw-floods

Reuters and Storyful (2021). Australia experiences worst flooding in decades. The New York Times.

Retrieved from https://nytimes.syphon.ca/video/world/australia/100000007668989/australia-flood.html?playlistId=video/world

Rodd, I. (2021, March 24th). Australia floods: The weather event as big as 'two European countries'. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-australia-56505901