Australian floods: Death toll climbs to four, authorities warn of snakes

Rescue teams are conducting clean-up operations as the waters begin to recede Friday morning. They are also assessing flood damage caused by torrential rains, equivalent to six months of rainfall, that hit the region in three days.

"Our business district has been flooded, so many businesses have been taken over by water, there will have to be a massive clean-up," said Kinne Ring, mayor of the flood-hit farming town of Kempsey.

"Houses have been flooded," she added, speaking on national broadcaster ABC.

Dallas Burnes, head of the state emergency services, said more than 2,000 personnel had been deployed to the disaster area.

"For now, our priority is to resupply isolated neighborhoods," he said, adding that 50,000 people were still stranded by the floods.

More than 600 people have been evacuated since the beginning of the week. Faced with rising waters, some had to climb onto cars, houses, and bridges before being airlifted out, according to emergency services.

Mr. Burnes warned of the threat posed by muddy bodies of water. "Floodwater is contaminated. There may be rodents, snakes. We need to assess those risks." Electricity can also pose a danger.

The storms dumped more than six months of rain in just three days, the government's weather bureau said, breaking flood height records in some areas.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the disaster area on Friday and found the situation "horrible."

"The infrastructure has suffered considerable damage and we will all have to do our part," he said.

The government has declared a state of natural disaster, releasing greater resources to the affected areas.

Some cities still cut off from the world

While many flood warnings have been lifted, some towns were still cut off Friday afternoon, complicating the assessment of damage.

In Taree, a town along the Manning River, residents rallied on Friday to help businesses clear away debris brought by the floods.

From the arid outback to the tropical coast, swathes of Australia have been hit by extreme weather in recent months.

The average sea surface temperature around the country was the highest ever recorded in 2024, according to the Australian National University.