At least nine people were found dead in Australia after storms and floods in the eastern part of the country caused power outages and damaged infrastructure over the Christmas holiday period, the authorities said.
The extreme weather this week has mainly affected people in the eastern states of Queensland and Victoria. Even as rainfall tapered on Wednesday, search and rescue operations continued in flooded areas, and power crews were trying to restore electricity to tens of thousands of homes.
“While many Australians are enjoying their well-earned holidays, our essential services and emergency personnel are working grueling shifts to keep the lights on and to keep us safe,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on social media.
Here’s what we know.
Queensland was hardest hit.
Two weeks ago, a storm that ripped through the coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland’s state capital, left at least one person dead. But this week’s extreme weather — three or more inches of rain fell in parts of Queensland over a 24-hour period ending Wednesday morning — was even more deadly.
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