Australia’s eastern states faced severe storm during the Christmas holidays, killing the lives of at least 10 people in Queensland, Victoria, and New South Wales. The storms, by destructive winds, torrential rain, and flooding, have brought sorrow to communities already struggling with recent natural disasters, including major floods and bushfires.
Far north Queensland is facing with what authorities are predicting to be the worst flood in the region’s history. The event, triggered by record rainfall attributed to a tropical cyclone, has left thousands evacuated, planes submerged at Cairns airport, and even crocodiles spotted in floodwaters.
Tropical Cyclone Jasper made landfall on the northeast coast of Australia, bringing winds, heavy rainfall, and life threatening floods. The cyclone intensified from a category 1 to a category 2 storm, with winds reaching up to 140 km/h.
