The Worst Flooding in 60 Years
Australian spiders climbing to higher ground to escape the flood. Photo by Matt Ravenforce, Facebook capture.
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] In Australia, which is experiencing the worst flooding in 60 years, spiders, snakes, and other creatures are entering homes to escape the rising waters.
On the 22nd (local time), according to The Guardian and others, spiders fleeing the floods have been found in highlands and especially in residential homes across New South Wales (NSW) in southeastern Australia.
Matt Ravenforce, who works on a farm in Kinchella, posted a photo on Facebook the day before showing the ground densely covered with spiders.
Ravenforce explained, "Similar heavy rain damage occurred in March 2001 and March 2013," adding, "At that time, floods also pushed spiders into houses."
He said, "The rain is still falling, and the water is still rising. When daylight comes, the water will flood into the house, and spiders will be scattered all over the place inside."
Ravenforce added, "Spiders are not the only animals entering human territory to escape the floods," saying, "the trees are full of snakes. If you take a boat out, you can see snakes swimming toward dry land."
Melanie Williams, who lives in Maxville, also posted a photo on Facebook the day before showing hundreds of spiders filling her garage, saying, "It was really driving me crazy."
Williams said, "A lot of spiders came to escape the flood," adding, "I was shocked to see a swarm of spiders crawling up the exterior walls of the house. I've never seen anything like that."
Shania Bally posted a video on TikTok showing a swarm of spiders climbing over a fence to escape the water.
The areas surrounding Sydney, Australia, were flooded due to heavy rains. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Australian arachnologist Lizzy Lowe said, "It is common to see swarms of spiders during flood season. When floods occur in summer, you can see even more swarms," adding, "The spiders are just struggling to survive. Once the flood ends, the spiders will disperse."
She continued, "Spiders do not harm people. Even if you are scared when you encounter them, please have compassion."
NSW has experienced large-scale flooding centered around heavy rains that have continued since the 18th. Dams have overflowed and rivers have burst their banks, causing continuous flood damage. Some areas of the state have seen nearly 1 meter of rain over the past four days.
Currently, thousands of residents in the most affected areas of NSW have been advised to evacuate, and hundreds of schools have been closed.
The southeastern coast of Australia is experiencing flooding due to record-breaking heavy rain for the first time in 60 years.
Gladys Berejiklian, Premier of NSW, stated that "about 18,000 residents in flood-affected areas have evacuated," adding, "Thousands of animals have also been relocated."
She said, "As heavy rain continues, warnings are expected to be issued for the Illawarra region and the South Coast," adding, "There has never been such extreme bad weather in the history of NSW."
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