The Australian government of New South Wales has launched a series of helicopter feeding lanes on May 25, providing emergency support to farming households isolated by severe flooding in the southeastern part of the country.
The northern coastal area of New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, is recovering from days of heavy rains that caused flooding, swept away livestock, destroyed homes and paralyzed many towns. It is estimated that about 10,000 houses were damaged by floods.
As of May 25, about 32,000 people are still isolated due to floodwaters, although water levels have begun to recede, according to information from the New South Wales Emergency Services Agency.
The state's Agricultural Minister, Ms. Tara Mori Party, said the government is providing emergency animal feed, veterinary care, management consultation and road support to prevent livestock farming from being isolated. There have been 43 helicopter lances and about 130 other supplies to bring food to farmers in affected areas.
Floods have isolated about 50,000 people, submerged traffic signs, and flooded car bodywings to the windshields in many towns along the northern coast of the state. One of the hardest hit areas is the town of Taree, which is located along the Manning River, more than 300km north of the capital Sydney.
The flood killed at least 5 people and isolated tens of thousands of people. One of the victims, a man over 80 years old, was found dead in a flooded area about 50km from Taree, police said.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warned on May 24 that the situation in the affected areas is still at a serious level, although cleanup work has begun.
Australia has faced extreme weather phenomena such as storms and floods in recent years, which some experts say are a result of climate change.
