Heavy rain batters Australia's east coast, tens of thousands flee their homes
March 2, 2022, 8:34 am

Heavy rain batters Australia's east coast, tens of thousands flee their homes

Heavy rains batter Australia's east coast, tens of thousands flee their homes (File photo: Pixabay)

The Arab News reported, citing Reuters, tens of thousands of Australians fled their homes and authorities evacuated a hospital on Wednesday as torrential rains continued to batter the country’s east coast.

According to the report, eleven people have died since the extreme weather arrived late last week, submerging town centers, unmooring homes and cutting power lines.

The wild storm cell has been making its way down from Queensland state into neighboring New South Wales (NSW) and is expected to hit Sydney, home to more than 5 million people, later on Wednesday.

NSW Emergency Services Minister Stephanie Cooke told broadcaster ABC on Wednesday morning: “Hundreds of thousands of people have been impacted by this event,” adding “It is not over by any stretch of the imagination.”

The Bureau of Meteorology said Sydneysiders should brace for months of rain to fall within a few hours, as officials reported that Warragamba Dam, the city’s major water supply for Sydney, began overflowing on Wednesday morning.

Australia-Melbourne-South wharf (File photo: Pixabay)

According to official data, the country’s weather bureau warned Sydney and surrounding regions could receive up to 200 mm (8 inches) of rains within six hours later in the day. Sydney’s mean rainfall for March is 138 mm.

The report said that the main hospital, located in the northern town of Ballina, was evacuated, ahead of an anticipated peak in the floodwaters. In Lismore, a town a little further north that was hit hard on Tuesday, residents waited for water levels to recede far enough to allow emergency services to reach them with emergency supplies.

Australia to welcome tourists after nearly two years of sealing borders

It mentioned that NSW emergency crews carried out 300 flood rescues after getting 2,200 requests for help overnight. Military helicopters airlifted stranded people from rooftops, while stranded motorists and animals were rescued from a bridge after fast rising waters submerged both ends.

Cassie Skillings, who got stuck on the bridge along with her sister, niece and nephew, told radio station 2GB a local resident rescued them in his boat.

Australia to create ‘Earth’s black box’ to hold world accountable for climate change crisis

She said: “It was just mayhem, once shipping containers started hitting the bridge I called triple zero and they said there was nothing they could do."

Source: arabnews

Biden: Putin will pay high price for invading Ukraine; 'He has no idea what’s coming' Dozens of Japanese men volunteer to fight for Ukraine

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”