Australia issues flood evacuation orders as areas receive three times average October rain in just a day

More than 4,700 households were left without power

Thousands of people across southeast Australia have been ordered to evacuate as two days of torrential rain triggered flash flooding in the area.

Large parts of Victoria state, southern New South Wales and the northern regions of the island state of Tasmania saw fast-moving water bursting river banks, after they observed more than a month’s worth of rain since late Wednesday, said officials.

In New South Wales, a 63-year-old man was reported missing in flood waters, while another person was reported missing in central Victoria today, said officials. While no details of the missing person from Victoria town have been released, police found the body of a 46-year-old man in his submerged car in the New South Wales city of Bathurst a day after he died.