TIG Post

Tag: Melbourne

  • Australia floods: Following severe rain, three states issue evacuation orders

    Communities in three Australian states have been urged to evacuate as heavy rains cause widespread flooding.

    In just 24 hours, parts of the country received up to four times their typical October rainfall.

    At least 500 homes have been flooded, one person has died and another is missing as the disaster unfolds.

    Widespread flooding across Australia – driven by a La Niña weather pattern – has killed more than 20 people this year.

    Victoria – Australia’s second most populous state – has been worst hit this week. Several communities have been ordered to evacuate, including some in the state capital Melbourne.

    Floods have swamped roads, forced school closures, and cut power to 3,000 houses and businesses.

    Premier Daniel Andrews said the number of inundated homes was “absolutely certain to grow”, calling it one of the state’s worst flood events in decades.

    “This has only just started, and it’s going to be with us for a while,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

     

    Barry Webster, who lives in Melbourne’s northwest, is one of those whose house has gone underwater.

    “I always said I wanted riverfront views, but not like this,” he told The Age.

    “Going downstairs and seeing the lounge floating… it’s a bit surreal, kind of like a movie.”

    Many areas received massive 24-hour rainfall totals, but the highest was in Strathbogie, northeast of Melbourne.

    It received 220mm – more than double the town’s average October rainfall or about a third of London’s annual average.

    Several rivers have also flooded in Tasmania after up to 400mm of rain fell in some areas in 24 hours. It is unclear how many homes and businesses have been affected there.

    In New South Wales, about 600 people were told to evacuate from the town of Forbes, where about 250 properties and businesses were expected to flood.

    One man died in the state’s west earlier this week after his car became submerged in floodwaters.

    Rescuers have also been searching for a man thought to have been swept away in similar circumstances on Tuesday.

    More rain is forecast in the coming weeks, placing strain on already swollen rivers and saturated ground.

    Experts say recent flooding in Australia has been worsened by climate change and a La Niña weather phenomenon. In Australia, a La Niña increases the likelihood of rain, cyclones, and cooler daytime temperatures.

     

  • Labour shortage : Qantas executives to work as baggage handlers for three months

    Australian airline Qantas has asked senior executives to work as baggage handlers for three months as it tries to tackle a significant labor shortage.

    The firm’s head of operations is looking for at least 100 volunteers to work at Sydney and Melbourne airports.

    Tasks include loading and unloading bags as well as driving vehicles to move luggage around airports.

    The company’s operations manager is searching for at least 100 volunteers to work at the airports in Sydney and Melbourne.

    Additionally, to operating cars to transport luggage throughout airports, tasks include loading and unloading bags.

    Like much of the global airline industry, Qantas is struggling to resume its services as borders reopen.

    “The high levels of winter flu and a Covid spike across the community, coupled with the ongoing tight labor market, make resourcing a challenge across our industry,” Qantas’ chief operating officer Colin Hughes said in an email shared with the BBC by the company.

    “There is no expectation that you will opt into this role on top of your full-time position,” Mr. Hughes added.

    The managers and executives were asked to work in the baggage handling roles for three or five days a week, in shifts of either four or six hours a day.

    The note went on to say that applicants need to be able to move suitcases weighing as much as 32kg each.

    “We’ve been clear that our operational performance has not been meeting our customers’ expectations or the standards that we expect of ourselves – and that we’ve been pulling out all stops to improve our performance,” a Qantas spokesperson told the BBC.

    “As we have done in the past during busy periods, around 200 head office staff have helped at airports during peak travel periods since Easter.”

    Qantas was among airlines hit hard by the pandemic as countries closed their borders, grounding planes.

    The industry laid off thousands of staff during the pandemic, many of which were the ground staff.

    In November 2020, Qantas outsourced more than 2,000 ground staff roles, on top of thousands more job cuts it had already announced, in an effort to limit its financial losses.

    Last month, the airline apologized after passengers complained of delays and missing luggage.

    Australia had among the strictest Covid travel restrictions in the world, including for its own citizens, and only began lifting the controls in November 2021.

    As measures to slow the spread of Covid-19 have eased around the world, Qantas and other major airlines have struggled to resume services at the scale seen before the pandemic.

    Staff shortages have also affected UK airports and airlines, resulting in cancellations and delays throughout the holidays. The lack of baggage handlers has also contributed to a backlog of bags in terminals.

    To assist control demand, airports like Heathrow have capped passenger numbers over the summer. As a result, several airlines have suspended ticket sales for specific routes.