Flash floods on Friday inundated hundreds of homes in southeast Australia as thousands of residents were called to evacuate their threatened homes.

A state of emergency was declared in Victoria, the second most populous state in Australia. Residents in Maribyrnong, near Melbourne, were forced to evacuate their homes due to rising waters.

Cars abandoned in the streets of the Melbourne suburb were almost completely submerged in water, while some stranded residents were rescued by inflatable lifeboats.

Marybyrnong resident Leah Callusey spent Friday morning salvaging sports equipment from her local cricket club.

"The club is under water at the moment, and the water level is above the waist," she told AFP.

"I live in the same suburb and it's a little scary," she added. "Fortunately, our house is a little higher, but a lot of houses around the river have been affected."

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters that 500 homes in the state were "submerged", while the floods trapped another 500 homes beyond the reach of emergency services, noting that "this number will certainly rise."

Maribyrnong resident Betty Ristevsky described the situation as worrying and "has become tense".

"The water is approaching and we can see it in front of us," she added, in an interview with AFP.

While the torrential rains subsided by noon Friday, Victoria's emergency services warned that the flooding would get worse as water flows downstream, which could lead to additional flooding.

"Almost no part of Victoria will be spared from many floods in the coming days," emergency services spokesman Tim Wiebusch told reporters.

- 'Lives are at risk of flooding' -

By early next week, Wiebusch said, about 4,000 homes could be submerged in Shepparton, about two hours north of Melbourne.

Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said the Australian army had begun deploying to help residents put sandbags in their homes.

"It's a huge emergency for the state of Victoria," he explained.

An abandoned COVID-19 quarantine center that can accommodate 1,000 people will be used as a shelter for those fleeing their homes.

On Friday, northern parts of the island of Tasmania, south of Victoria, began preparing for floods.

Mass evacuation orders were issued, while torrential rains forced the closure of about 120 roads.

"The floods are putting lives at risk," the Tasmania Emergency Service said in a statement.

In New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, an evacuation center was set up after heavy rain Thursday evening in the town of Forbes, a five-hour drive from eastern Sydney.

Australia's eastern coast has been subjected to heavy rains several times in the past two years due to the "La Nina" climatic phenomenon.

East coast flooding in March, triggered by severe storms in Queensland and New South Wales, killed more than 20 people.

Tens of thousands of Sydney residents were ordered to evacuate their homes in July when floods inundated the outskirts of the city.

Scientists warn that Australia is at the forefront of climate change impacts, with more frequent floods, bushfires, cyclones and droughts as the climate warms.
 
Source: AFP