Catastrophic floods in Australia: dead and missing!

Catastrophic floods in Australia: dead and missing!

Severe flooding on the east coast of Australia, particularly in the state of New South Wales, has already claimed the life of one person on May 22, 2025. How vienna.at Reportedly, the body of a 63-year-old woman was recovered from a flooded building in Moto. A coroner is now investigating whether previous illnesses may have contributed to the death.

There are also three people on the missing list: a 60-year-old woman, a 25-year-old man and a 49-year-old man. Around 330 people had to be brought to safety north of Sydney after flood waters trapped them. Helicopters were used to rescue those affected from roofs and porches.

Unusual weather conditions

Current flooding is surpassing local records set in 1929 and New South Wales Emergency Management Minister Jihad Dib said the region was facing an unexpectedly high amount of rain. Heavy rain has fallen since Tuesday and the weather office is predicting another 30cm of rain in the next 24 hours. In total, around 50,000 people were warned to prepare for possible evacuations.

Underlying this extreme weather situation is an increase in extreme weather events, which is discussed in detail in a new report from Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Loud WWF Surface temperatures and sea levels are rising unabated, which influences the frequency of extreme weather events such as heavy rain.

Climate change as an explanation

Rising temperatures and the associated global warming mean that natural disasters such as more frequent coastal flooding are no longer rare. Events that occurred once in a century a few decades ago may soon become annual occurrences. The increase in heavy rainfall, as seen in the recent floods, has become 1.2 to 9 times more likely and the maximum amount of precipitation has increased by 3 to 19 percent.

Scientists warn that human influences, such as soil sealing and river straightening, are making these floods even worse. Ecological solutions, such as reclaiming natural floodplains, could help avoid such disasters in the future and improve flood protection.

Current events in Australia are further powerful evidence of the need to take action on the climate crisis and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Governments around the world should urge the expansion of renewable energy and focus on measures to adapt to climate change.