World front pages cover Australian ‘rain bomb’ and flood crisis in NSW and Qld

Australia’s flood disaster has made the front pages of the world’s biggest newspapers and global news sites. See how they covered it.

While the world’s front pages and focus are rightly directed on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, global news outlets also have one eye on Australia’s flood crisis.

Major newspapers such as the New York Times, the New York Post, the Los Angeles Times and London’s Times have extensively reported on the floods currently lashing the east coast of Australia.

The New York Times and the Toronto Sun focused their reporting on Australia’s catastrophic “rain bomb” with the Times detailing how Australia has been “buffeted by particularly extreme weather over the past few years, including catastrophic fires, drought and widespread flooding”.

The Toronto Sun covered Australia's flood crisis. Picture: Supplied

Australia’s flood crisis has made global headlines. Picture: AFP

The New York Post had regular updates on Australia's floods on its breaking news stream. Picture: Supplied

Likewise, the New York Post wrote about mass evacuations due to the “worst floods in over a decade”.

The Post focused on the crisis in the New South Wales town of Lismore.

“Scores of residents, some with pets, spent hours trapped on their roofs in recent days by a fast-rising river in the town of Lismore in northern New South Wales state,” the Post wrote.

London’s The Times described “once in a thousand years” floods lashing the east coast and reported on house to house searches for stranded people.

London's The Times reports on the Australian flood crisis. Picture: Supplied

Scott Morrison, Australia’s PM, said more than 600 defence force personnel had been deployed or were on standby to aid flood victims.

He said that the severe weather may reach the southern island state of Tasmania, more than 1,100 mi from where it began near Brisbane on Friday pic.twitter.com/LPtApSWLQP

— The Times (@thetimes) March 2, 2022

The Los Angeles Times took a different approach, reporting that Australia’s worsening climate crisis and California’s record-breaking third year of drought was directly a result of La Nina “part of a natural cycle in the Pacific Ocean that influences climate around the world and is often a factor in climate extremes”.

California drought, Australia floods: Two sides of La Niña amplified by climate change https://t.co/2aQh8PfsL3

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) March 3, 2022

CNN also reported on the floods hitting NSW and Queensland.

Australia's floods made news overseas on CNN. Picture: Supplied

The Associated Press reported on Australia’s “astronomical” rainfall while CNN posted videos of “deadly” flash flooding, and substantial rainfall expected to hit Sydney.

The Los Angeles Times focused on the California drought and our flood crisis. Picture: Los Angeles Times

The Daily Mail went for a more humanitarian angle, telling the story of Queensland man “Jason” who rescued a drowning wallaby from dangerous – and contaminated – flood waters.

“I’ve been around the traps a little bit, so I’m not just an idiot who jumped into the water,” Jason said, adding the polluted floodwaters made him feel “a bit crook” the next day, but he had a classic Aussie remedy.

“I went home, had a shower and a bit of a spew to get out some of that horrible water out, and had a couple stiff drinks to sort of sterilise my insides,” he said.

London’s Guardian described that Sydney and the Illawarra region “dodged” the “worst effects of the devastating east coast low”.

Originally published as World front pages cover Australian ‘rain bomb’ and flood crisis in NSW and Qld