Australia Begins Rescue Efforts As Flood Peaks

Emergency crews in Australia’s most populous state New South Wales started evacuating people and livestock and sandbagging towns on Saturday.

This comes ahead of an expected peak in floodwaters, with one river forecast to hit a 70-year high water mark.

Australia’s east is in the grip of the fourth major flood crisis this year due to a multi-year La Nina weather phenomenon, typically associated with increased rainfall.

The flooding has left thousands homeless and damaged agricultural industries.

The country's authorities have also announced at least A$2 billion ($1.3 billion) in disaster relief to help thousands of residents repair homes and in some cases move from flood-prone areas.

On Saturday, across New South Wales (NSW) state there were 103 flood warnings.

Ryan Jones from the NSW State Emergency Service (SES), said in a statement; “We’ve had a couple of flood rescues.

"We’ve been sandbagging, resupplying essential supplies, evacuations and flood rescues."

NSW Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke has also warned that while the wet weather had eased, towns downstream from swollen rivers now faced the risk of flooding.