Firefighters prepare as another winter storm looms for Eastern States

A week after the East of Australia was hit by an unprecedented East Coast Low and major storms, the Bureau of Meteorology has issued another warning urging people to prepare for more flooding or storms in NSW and QLD.

Firefighters and emergency services are already prepared for more swift water rescues in response to the development of these unpredictable weather systems in the face of climate change, which is causing more concentrated and intense storms.

As reported, researchers from the University of New South Wales analysed the data from 1300 rain gauges and 1700 temperature stations across Australia, and found that flooding from more concentrated storms was up to 60% more likely due to climate change.

Firefighters in NSW and QLD are available to comment on:

What they’re witnessing on the ground as they are increasingly deployed to manage swift water rescues linked to flash flooding (including eye witness accounts of recent flood rescues).
How people can prepare and plan for storms
What the impacts of climate change will mean for firefighters as their resources are stretched to respond to both bushfire and storm seasons