Between late February and April of 2022, the Australian east coast experienced one of the country’s worst natural disasters in recent history as torrential downpours caused unprecedented levels of flooding. The catastrophic weather event, caused by a low-pressure system, resulted in the loss of 23 lives and forced thousands of residents to evacuate their homes and businesses.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared the situation a National Emergency and ordered members of the Australian Defence Force into flood-affected regions to assist existing response teams. The scale of the disaster throughout New South Wales and Queensland was extraordinary, with over 20,000 properties sustaining damage. According to the Insurance Council of Australia, the total estimated cost of the damage is expected to exceed $2.487 billion AUD for this single period.