Floods caused by torrential rain are hitting large swathes of southeast Australia, inundating hundreds of homes and forcing authorities to urge thousands of people to evacuate. Areas of three southeastern states – Victoria, New South Wales and the island state of Tasmania – are under emergency flood warnings after an intense weather system this week brought more than a month’s worth of rain to the southeast. The crisis comes after flooding in March and April on the east coast resulted in A$4.8 billion ($3.3 billion) in insured damage, according to the Insurance Council of Australia. WHERE IS THE FLOODING? Victoria has been the state hardest hit by the current floods, with several rivers in the state at major flood levels. The Goulburn River at Seymour, about 100 km (60 miles) north of Melbourne, peaked this week above the May 1974 record 7.64 metres (25 ft), […]