People stack baskets for flood control in Willoughby, New South Wales, Australia on March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)
In fighting Australia's catastrophic floods, teams of rescue workers tirelessly retrieve people from the rooftops of submerged homes, or out of cars caught in flash floods or simply cling to life in the swirling waters. And behind the rescue workers are communities keen to help the helpers.
SYDNEY, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Since record-breaking storms and floods first inundated eastern Australia late last month, 49-year-old volunteer rescue worker Col Britton's days have begun in the early hours of the morning and stretched deep into the night.
The deluges, described as a "one-in-a-1,000-year" event, have lashed large parts of the states of Queensland and New South Wales (NSW) with teams of rescue workers tirelessly retrieving people from the rooftops of submerged homes, or out of cars caught in flash floods or simply clinging to life in the swirling waters.
Despite every effort, tens of thousands of residents have been displaced, homes destroyed, roads and bridges collapsed, and more than 20 people have perished in the surging waters with more missing.
State Emergency Service members are seen near a flooded area in Richmond of New South Wales, Australia, March 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)
Since the disaster began, Britton, a volunteer with the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) and otherwise full-time teacher, like many others, has taken time off work and risked his safety to protect and support his community in Hawkesbury region northwest of Sydney.
"Just neighbors helping out neighbors, is pretty standard in most places. We've got people constantly dropping in to see if they can help in any way or dropping off food supplies or things like that, so it's all been pretty busy," Britton told Xinhua.
Britton has mainly been involved in boat rescues and supply drop-offs to people who have had their homes surrounded by flood waters and in many cases have had their electricity cut off.
"Most people are resilient and know they're going to have to be flooded in for a week," he said. "But this is sort of like a bit of a double whammy, (the water level) goes up and comes down but not enough, and then goes up again," said Britton, noting that unlike previous floods which last days rather than weeks, people are beginning to run out of supplies.
He described one instance where he was running low on fuel while heading back to base after delivering emergency medical aid to a stranded household.
"We got called to say that we were the only available boat on the water. We had to turn around and go back towards Leets Vale (along the Hawkesbury River) for an emergency evacuation."
To make it back to the evacuation center, Britton and his fellow workers had to rely on fuel donated by local residents.
Flooded roads are seen in Windsor, New South Wales, Australia on March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)
As of Friday, NSW SES has issued more than 60 evacuation orders, many of them for communities along the Hawkesbury River -- due to its abundance of waterways and low-lying basins and valleys.
Mel Steer, one such resident forced to evacuate, has been left exhausted, devastated and ready to move.
"Last year we were promised we would never see a flood like we had, and here we are 12 months later. So, there is just an ultimate feeling of disappointment in the community," Steer told local broadcaster ABC News on Wednesday.
Steer and her partner were two among thousands of residents who have been displaced in recent weeks.
"My partner and I, we are done. We love Hawkesbury so much but we can't live here anymore," she added.
Flooded roads are seen in Windsor, New South Wales, Australia on March 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)
And despite evacuation orders many residents have refused to leave their homes, which Britton described as a major challenge as a rescue worker.
"Despite knowing what's happening to the river, they refuse to leave and then conditions get adverse, that's when they call to get help ... then it can take nine or 10 hours to get down through the river system."
He said the response from those he has delivered supplies to or done welfare checks on have been "all happy smiles", painting a picture of community resilience and mutual aid.
"Having fuel for their generators and having fuel for their bellies. That generally makes them (impacted residents) pretty happy."
And behind the tireless SES workers are communities keen to help the helpers.
"One young girl, she's fantastic, from the Royal Fire Service. I got back at 10:30 last night, freezing cold, she'd already heated up dinner then brought a nice big bloated bowl of sticky date pudding and caramel sauce."■
