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"Australians hit by devastating\nfloodwaters have begun returning to their homes as skies\ncleared and authorities accelerated clean-up efforts, though\nfresh evacuation orders were issued in some areas where water\nlevels were still rising.Relentless rains for five straight days - the worst downpour\nin more than half a century - burst river banks, inundating\nhomes, roads, bridges and farms and cutting off entire towns in\nAustralia&amp;#39;s east. More than 40,000 people were forced to move to\nsafe zones and two men were killed after their cars became\ntrapped in floodwaters.Water continued to flow from overloaded dams and rivers on\nThursday, particularly in New South Wales state, leading\nauthorities to urge caution.READ MORE:&amp;nbsp;Rescue efforts continue in Australia after &amp;#39;catastrophic&amp;#39; floods&amp;quot;Even though the sun is now shining, the danger has not\npassed,&amp;quot; the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said in a\nstatement.Rising floodwaters from the Mehi river split Moree, a\nregional town 650 kilometres (404 miles) northwest of Sydney,\ninto two, emergency services said.Major flooding also continues in Sydney&amp;#39;s western suburbs of\nNorth Richmond and Windsor, while fresh evacuation orders were\nissued for some areas in the centre of the state. 40 percent population affectedStill, there were some signs of relief as rescue teams, including defence force personnel, took advantage of eased conditions in several areas to clear debris and deliver supplies.&amp;quot;The best advice I&amp;#39;ve received this morning is that most of the river systems we believe have peaked,&amp;quot; NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said during a televised news briefing.&amp;quot;And now we are considering ... which communities are able to return back in the next few days, and we just ask for everybody&amp;#39;s patience.&amp;quot;Around 40 percent of Australia&amp;#39;s population of 25 million was affected by the severe weather system that stretched across an area the size of Alaska in recent days, touching every mainland state or territory but one.Several evacuation orders have been lifted, but there were still around 20,000 people waiting in rescue centres, Berejiklian said.Images of the devastation have included rescues of families by boat, stranded cattle and submerged houses.Fridges, lounges, pillows and even a spa bath washed away in the floods were spotted on the beaches, footage on social media showed, as muddy waters from the Hawkesbury river, a major waterway north of Sydney, reached the Tasman Sea.The Insurance Council of Australia, the main industry body, said about 17,000 damages claims worth about $193.32 million (A$254.2 million) had been lodged by Wednesday morning.&amp;nbsp;READ MORE:&amp;nbsp;Australia bush fire destroys large swathes of heritage-listed island "
<https://www.trtworld.com/asia/some-australians-return-as-others-evacuated-in-floods-crisis-45300>