After ten people died in the floods in eastern Australia, the authorities are expecting catastrophic conditions to continue in the coming days.

The residents of some peripheral areas of the metropolis Sydney, for example, are already preparing for rising water levels.

They got sandbags to protect their houses from the expected floods.

Till Fähnders

Political correspondent for Southeast Asia.

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The series of "extreme weather and flood events" will continue for many more days, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in Canberra.

The weather agency expects more storms and flooding throughout the week.

The highs currently being seen in Brisbane and other cities are unlikely to go down for several more days.

In addition, other places in the south could be affected, possibly as far as the states of Victoria and Tasmania.

"You've never seen anything like it in your life"

According to the weather authorities, the region has seen as much precipitation in one week as it normally has in several years.

In the town of Lismore, which was particularly hard hit by the floods, local residents found the lifeless body of an elderly woman in her flooded home on Tuesday.

She is the first casualty of the torrential rains in the state of New South Wales.

The extreme weather conditions initially hit south-east Queensland, but are now increasingly affecting the north of the neighboring state.

In Queensland, the death toll rose to nine on Tuesday.

There, a 76-year-old man who had been washed away with his car was found dead in his car.

About 1,000 people were rescued from the floods in New South Wales.

Tens of thousands of people have left their homes in the two neighboring states.

Around 300,000 people in New South Wales have been warned to prepare for evacuations.

This part of Australia has experienced similar natural disasters before, Prime Minister Morrison said.

“They were always used to floods.

But they've never seen anything like it in their lives," he said.

At a gas station in Lismore, the water had risen to just under the roof of a gas station.

A quad bike was dangling from a power line in Gympie, Queensland, after flood waters drained.

As with previous disasters, the willingness to help among Australians is great.

For example, surfing legend Mick Fanning rushed to help stranded residents with his jet ski.