Australia begins cleanup after floods kill 5, strand thousands

Floods in eastern Australia have led to five deaths and 50,000 people remaining stranded or in evacuation centers as emergency services work to assess widespread damage. Despite improving conditions, rescues continued with 52 attempts overnight, though many residents still need help. The situation has worsened since record-breaking rains left towns like Taree isolated, roads submerged, and livestock destroyed. Train services were disrupted, including Sydney airport, which shut two runways for an hour on Friday morning. With frequent flooding now causing widespread devastation, experts attribute Australia’s extreme weather to climate change, following years of droughts and bushfires.