Severe flooding continues to pummel parts of Australia


As large swaths of Australia continue to be hit with massive flooding, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called on Australians to stick together.
"Australians are coming together, they are helping each other out and once again we are seeing at the worst of times, the best of the Australian character," Albanese said Saturday, per Reuters. The prime minister's remarks came when he was in Melbourne touring the flood damage in Victoria state. Victoria has become one of the hardest-hit territories by the flood, and Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said at least 355 roads in the state remained closed.
Victoria officials told CNN on Sunday that floodwaters in some areas of the state are expected to rise over 40 feet, which would flood more than 7,000 additional properties.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Other areas Down Under are being pummeled by raging waters as well, with parts of New South Wales and northern Tasmania similarly being drenched by flooding.
The flooding has been a result of torrential downpours that have plagued southeast Australia, and Reuters details that some areas saw an entire month's worth of rainfall just this past week. The extreme weather is due to La Niña conditions that have affected the country recently.
The New York Times confirmed at least two people have died from the floods, and more casualties are likely as the flooding continues. For those who survived, thousands more were left homeless, and the number of flooded houses is expected to rise.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
Answers to how life on Earth began could be stuck on Mars
Under the Radar Donald Trump plans to scrap Nasa's Mars Sample Return mission – stranding test tubes on the Red Planet and ceding potentially valuable information to China
-
July 27 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Today's political cartoons include tough stains, heatwaves, and vote-losing behaviour
-
5 attention-grabbing cartoons about Trump's distraction tactics
Cartoons Artists take on a musical diversion, an NFL team by any other name, and more
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resigns
Speed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodge
Speed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
-
Why are flash floods in Texas so deadly?
Today's Big Question Over 100 people, including 27 girls at a summer camp, died in recent flooding
-
Search for survivors continues after Texas floods
Speed Read A total of 82 people are confirmed dead, including 28 children
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star program
speed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
-
US proposes eroding species protections
Speed Read The Trump administration wants to change the definition of 'harm' in the Environmental Protection Act to allow habitat damage
-
Severe storms kill dozens across central US
Speed Read At least 40 people were killed over the weekend by tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms
-
Parts of California are sinking and affecting sea level
Under the radar Climate change is bringing the land to the sea