Australia flooding declared a national emergency

The Australian government has declared as a national emergency the devastating floods that had killed several people in the country’s east coast.

“Australia is becoming a harder country to live in because of these natural disasters,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday after touring the worst-hit Northern Rivers area of New South Wales.

READ ALSO: Australia faces worst floods in 60 years, to evacuate thousands

The emergency declaration came after more than 21 people were killed with hundreds of homes buried under the water in what has been described as one of the worst disasters to hit the country, second only to the destructive 2019 bushfires.

Speaking to reporters after the tour, Morrison linked the devastation caused by the flood to climate change, which he said had also caused earlier bush fire catastrophes.

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