ANGER and massive clear-up operations are underway worldwide after some of the worst flooding to be seen for years, which has badly affected three countries. Sri Lanka, Brazil and Australia are only now beginning to count the cost of such destruction, which has left some dead, and many others stranded, with their houses washed away.
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| DESTRUCTION: An aerial shot of the floods in Queensland, Australia |
In Australia, Brisbane and Queensland have been the two most badly-hit areas in the country, with the floods leaving a trail of destruction that seems more akin to a hurricane. Many communities are still cut off in the aftermath of the floods, which began just after Christmas Down Under. Only from helicopter pictures can the horror of the mess caused can really be told. The police in Australia have admitted that some people may never be found, but they are doing what they can to eliminate those chances. For many in the affected regions, they have their own stories to tell, sadly – most of them end up being a sickening tale and an act of pure luck that they are still alive. Some eyewitnesses have compared the floods to ‘tornadoes with miles of debris scattered like confetti at a wedding.’ The force of the water levels has swept away many bodies miles away from where they lived, meaning it will take a long while for the final official confirmation of the dead. Currently, the total in Oz stands at 20, with 53 people still unaccounted for. 12,000 military are now in force with the rescue operation, more than double on the initial callout when the floods began. Australia has taken a battering from the floods, but similar to the fallen Ashes cricket side, will bounce back and with the tough community spirit that they always show, can rebuild their shattered lives.
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| STRUGGLE: Many people have been left homeless in Sri Lanka |
The same can’t be said in poorer countries like Sri Lanka. An estimated 325,000 people have been forced to leave their homes because of flooding. Towns and villages are submerged with gallons of water in the South and North of the country. The Sri Lankan government has deployed 30,000 troops to help with the relief effort and has called for a quick response. As the torrential downpours continue, the death toll is expected to rise. 11 more people died today, taking the current figure to 38 that have lost their lives in this flooding catastrophe. The UN has urged for international aid to arrive, particularly bottled water and mattresses for those who are staying in emergency shelters.
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| DEVASTATION: The landslides in Brazil have left a nation in shock |
Brazil hasn’t got off lightly either, and has probably been devastated the most by this week’s floods. Rescue teams in the South American country are working flat out, but tragically, it is to find bodies, rather than survivors. The towns of Teresoplois and Petropolis have been the worst affected by Friday’s landslides. Some survivors have been faced with the grim task of helping the rescue teams find the bodies of their own families and friends. Communities have been overwhelmed, with 13,500 people made homeless, one of the worst natural disasters to have ever hit Brazil. Like Sri Lanka, many cut-off communities are in desperate need for food, clean water and medicine supplies. At least 500 people have died here, and with more rain forecasted, the death toll is set to rise. Billions of dollars of damage has been caused and gives the newly-elected Brazilian president Dilma Rousseuf a major headache, only two weeks into her new role. She will have to deal with the lack of supplies and frustration from families at the lack of flood defences available to the country, as Brazil deals with one of the worst landslides to hit the world in the last half a century.
Almost a year on from the earth-shattering earthquake to have struck Haiti, it seems like Mother Nature continues on its trail of destruction and it is many communities in Asia, Australia and South America that have felt the significant force of destruction, ripping apart many communities and killing many. Thoughts go out to all those affected, some who now have the long and painstaking process of trying to rebuild their lives if possible.
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