Australia offers income support for workers hit by ex Tropical Cyclone Alfred

SYDNEY - The Australian government said on Monday it would activate financial support for workers who lost income due to ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, which has caused widespread flooding, power outages and property damage across the east coast.

The storm hit land north of Brisbane, Australias third-most populous city, late on Saturday after being downgraded to a tropical low, pummeling the states of Queensland and New South Wales.

One man has died and 12 soldiers deployed for assistance were injured after their vehicles crashed in wet conditions, authorities said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said workers whose income drops below the countrys average weekly wage would be eligible to apply for up to 13 weeks of financial support from Tuesday.

“Weve got your back. Thats my message to the community,” Albanese told a press conference in the flooded town of Lismore about 700 km (440 miles) north of Sydney on Monday.

The income support would be equivalent to the country’s unemployment benefits scheme JobSeeker, currently set at A$778 ($490.76) a fortnight for a single person with no children and comes on top of a one-off, A$1,000 disaster payment announced over the weekend.

Authorities said more than 230,000 households and businesses were still facing power outages and thousands of properties were at risk of flooding after rainfall totals of up to 433mm (17 inches) in the past 24 hours.

Australias Bureau of Meteorology said that while conditions would ease throughout the day, the risk was not over.

“There is still significant flooding occurring throughout south-east Queensland, bureau meteorologist Sue Oates said. More intense rainfall is possible, and there is an increased risk of dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding.”

Insurers have already received nearly 3,000 claims, the Insurance Council of Australia said on Sunday.

CEO Andrew Hall said it was too early to determine