Prolonged rainfall has caused severe flooding in eastern Australia. Entire villages have been cut off from the outside world by the water, with tens of thousands of people seeking shelter from the floods. According to the authorities, at least two people have died and others are missing.

Several communities in New South Wales have been severely affected by the flood disaster. They are located around 400 kilometers north-east of Sydney. According to the Australian Weather Service, in some areas it rained as much in three days as it normally does in six months. These are the worst floods in the region for over 100 years.

Rescue workers are using helicopters and boats to evacuate people from roofs or bridges in flooded areas. Jihad Dib, New South Wales Minister for Disaster Management, reported numerous such rescue operations in the last 24 hours. "We've seen more rain and more flooding in the mid-to-north coast area than we've ever seen before," said Dib.

Around 2,500 rescue workers were deployed in the flooded areas with boats, helicopters and hundreds of search drones. Numerous dangerous emergencies arose on the roads. Drivers lost control of their vehicles while driving through flooded roads or tried to get to safety on the roof of their cars from suddenly rising water levels.

The authorities warned of further heavy rainfall. Christopher Minns, the Premier of New South Wales, urged more than 50,000 people to prepare for evacuations to avoid being trapped by floodwaters. "We are bracing for more bad news," Minns said.

Meteorologist Angus Hines reported on Australian television that an area of low pressure is stubbornly persisting over the affected region, causing heavy rainfall. Further dangerous flooding is expected when the masses of water from the rugged regions in the inland push through the rivers towards the coast.

Rescue workers in Port Macquarie travel by motorboat through flooded streets. The government officially declared a state of disaster to release funds for protection and relief measures. Tens of thousands of people in the affected areas are completely cut off and many lack supplies of food or medicine.

Water as far as the eye can see. The Australian Minister for Disaster Management, Kristy McBain, warned: "We aren't over the worst of it yet." Several rivers burst their banks in the rural Mid North Coast region, where entire areas will remain under water for some time to come.

Coastal regions in the Philippines have been regularly flooded for years. On the island of Tibaguin in the north of Manila Bay, only the houses are visible above the water. Roads, sidewalks and gardens are completely flooded. Rising sea levels are only partly responsible for this.

Fishermen unload their catch at the fishing port of Hagonoy. Experts see a connection between the sinking of inhabited coastal regions and excessive groundwater drilling to supply the population and industry. Added to this are geological changes caused by earthquakes and land reclamation projects.

In everyday life, this means that people in the Philippines constantly have "wet feet." During a religious ceremony honoring the Virgin Mary, a young woman in festive clothing wades through the deep water. In coastal villages, the water has been rising steadily for years. Even small tidal waves lead to flooding, not to mention the severe tropical storms.

There are large-scale land reclamation projects in Manila Bay. Land is being reclaimed from the bay on a grand scale for mega construction projects such as the new international airport in the Philippines. Many residents are convinced that such massive environmental interventions have worsened the flooding.

Dry branches of dead mangroves protrude from the salty seawater. Mangrove forests provided natural protection against flooding. However, industrial environmental interventions and the urbanization of coastal regions have destroyed many mangrove forests in the Philippines. Environmental organizations are campaigning for their reforestation as a protective "green belt."

From the window, a young girl plays with leaves on the surface of the water. Flooded residential areas are now commonplace in the Philippines. To adapt, roads must be raised higher and higher, rice fields must be converted into fish ponds, and living areas must be moved to higher floors.

The home of Rolando and Bernadette Laudiangco on the island of Pugad is also regularly flooded. Experts are increasingly urging that the man-made causes of flooding be addressed to better protect the population from rising sea levels.