Several hundred residents were evacuated from the remote, sparsely populated town of Daly River ahead of severe anticipated flooding, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

What's happening?

Around 450 residents were preemptively evacuated, according to an ABC report Wednesday.

Daly River, in Australia's Northern Territory, sits adjacent to the waterway that shares its name.

Incident Controller David Moore told reporters that an emergency declaration was in effect, with flood levels of over 14 meters (45.9 feet) anticipated.

Moore said evacuations would begin Thursday, and evacuees would be transported by bus to the Foskey Pavilion in Darwin, a 220-kilometer (137-mile) trip. Officials acknowledged Daly River residents could be away from home for "up to a week or longer."

Moore also advised residents who wished to manage their own evacuations to act quickly and to be mindful of "unnecessary risks" if they planned to leave town on their own.

"Be very aware of crocodiles and other wildlife, particularly with rising water," he cautioned.

On Friday, ABC reported that a "handful" of locals had chosen not to leave their homes ahead of potentially catastrophic flooding.

Why is this concerning?

Throughout January, much of Australia contended with extreme weather in the form of a sustained and brutal heat wave.

On Jan. 21, ABC reported that soaring temperatures in some regions grew so severe that they exceeded the upper limit of standard thermometers, with an astonishing recorded temperature of 53.9 degrees Celsius (129 Fahrenheit) in Western Australia.

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In addition to life-threatening heat, farmers feared concurrent droughts would destroy crops.

Droughts, heat waves, and floods are long-established atmospheric phenomena, but an overheating planet driven by human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, has intensified them.

As temperatures rise, evaporation increases in tandem, supercharging already severe forms of weather. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, extreme flooding has become far more common in the past two decades.

Citing NASA research, the EDF said that "the proportion of people across the globe living in flood-prone areas has risen by 20% to 24% since 2000." 

Long-term residents of Daly River — like Trevor Hutchinson, who stayed behind to assist others ahead of the anticipated flooding — were well aware of the impacts of extreme flooding.

Hutchinson helped with evacuations amid a major flood in 2018, transporting dozens of stranded neighbors by boat, and he recalled the impact of recurring floods on infrastructure and municipal services, such as electricity and sewer systems.

Moore acknowledged that evacuated residents could remain in Darwin for up to two weeks, as homes in Daly River would need to be thoroughly assessed for safety.

What's being done about it?

Moore warned residents not to drive through floodwaters and urged individuals to tell others where they planned to go and when they expected to arrive, ensuring locals were accounted for before the Daly River began rising.

More broadly, awareness of key climate issues is critical as extreme weather becomes more commonplace worldwide. 

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