Aussies see heaviest rainfall in nearly a decade
Published on: Saturday, January 18, 2020
By: AFP
A staff member carrying koalas during a flash flood at the Australian Reptile Park in Somersby, some 50 kilometres north of Sydney.
SYDNEY: Drought-breaking storms dumped desperately needed rain on some bushfire-ravaged parts of eastern Australia on Friday, while giving joy to many farmers who have faced losing precious livestock and crops.The rains gave exhausted firefighters a boost in battling some of the blazes, with more relief expected over the weekend as the wet weather is forecast to hit other hotspots.
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The unprecedented fires, fuelled by climate change and a years-long drought, have claimed 28 lives over the past five months.
They have scorched massive tracts of pristine forests in eastern and southern Australia, decimated livestock on already barren farms and destroyed 2,000 homes.
Following extreme hot and dry weather that have fuelled the fires, Friday saw the heaviest rainfalls in nearly a decade in some areas close to hotspots.
However the rains have not hit all fires in New South Wales, nor in the state of Victoria to the south, where many of the worst blazes are raging.
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The rain has also completely missed Kangaroo Island, the nation’s third, biggest off the southern coast of the mainland that is famed for its pristine wilderness.
Fires have devastated the national park on the island, wiping out much of its koala population and threatening to completely eradicate bird and other endemic marsupial species.
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Authorities have warned the crisis could worsen again with Australia only halfway through its summer.
Still, the prospect of more wet weather across eastern and southern Australia over the coming days offered further hope.
The bushfires and the drought have pushed many farmers in Australia to the brink, and this week’s heavy rain gave many rare cause for celebration.
Roughly a billion animals are estimated to have died in the fires nationwide. With huge tracts of their habitats destroyed, environmental groups have warned the blazes could drive many species to extinction.
Much attention has focused on Australia’s tree-dwelling koalas, with images of the cuddly-looking animals being rescued from wildfires making world headlines.
But on Friday morning, some koalas and other native animals at the Australia Reptile Park on the east coast of New South Wales had to be rescued from floodwaters.
The heavy rain is being seen as a double-edged sword.
The water could also make it harder for firefighting trucks to venture deep into forests on muddy tracks, authorities have warned.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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