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Severe flooding continues to pummel parts of Australia

Rescue workers float down a flooded street in a Melbourne suburb.
Rescue workers float down a flooded street in a Melbourne suburb. WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images

As large swaths of Australia continue to be hit with massive flooding, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called on Australians to stick together.

"Australians are coming together, they are helping each other out and once again we are seeing at the worst of times, the best of the Australian character," Albanese said Saturday, per ReutersThe prime minister's remarks came when he was in Melbourne touring the flood damage in Victoria state. Victoria has become one of the hardest-hit territories by the flood, and Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews said at least 355 roads in the state remained closed.

Victoria officials told CNN on Sunday that floodwaters in some areas of the state are expected to rise over 40 feet, which would flood more than 7,000 additional properties.

Other areas Down Under are being pummeled by raging waters as well, with parts of New South Wales and northern Tasmania similarly being drenched by flooding.

The flooding has been a result of torrential downpours that have plagued southeast Australia, and Reuters details that some areas saw an entire month's worth of rainfall just this past week. The extreme weather is due to La Niña conditions that have affected the country recently.

The New York Times confirmed at least two people have died from the floods, and more casualties are likely as the flooding continues. For those who survived, thousands more were left homeless, and the number of flooded houses is expected to rise.

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