• Flooding in New South Wales has killed five and isolated tens of thousands.
• Emergency supplies, including animal feed, are being air-dropped to stranded farmers.
• Over 10,000 properties have reportedly been damaged due to the floods.
• Prime Minister Albanese warns that conditions remain critical in affected areas.
• The floods are part of a trend of increasing extreme weather events in Australia.

Helicopters have been deployed in New South Wales to airdrop animal feed to farmers impacted by severe flooding that has resulted in five fatalities and stranded tens of thousands of residents. The floods, which have wreaked havoc across the state, particularly in the mid-north coast region, have been characterized by heavy rains leading to overflowing rivers and significant property damage, impacting at least 10,000 households. The New South Wales Emergency Services reported that approximately 32,000 individuals remain isolated as floodwaters gradually recede, according to Reuters, Channel News Asia, and The Jakarta Post.

The New South Wales government is providing crucial emergency support to those affected, including "emergency fodder, veterinary care, management advice, and aerial support for isolated stock," stated Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty. Combined efforts from various agencies have led to 43 helicopter drops and around 130 other delivery methods to supply isolated farmers with necessary resources for their livestock, as highlighted in reports from Reuters and The Jakarta Post.

The floods have isolated around 50,000 people, with urban infrastructure severely affected; submerged intersections and obstructed roads have made accessibility challenging. Among the deceased was an elderly man whose body was discovered at a flooded property in the vicinity of Taree, a town heavily impacted by the disaster, according to police reports shared by Channel News Asia and Reuters.

As assessments and recovery operations move forward, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese noted the ongoing critical conditions in flood-affected regions. This latest disaster underscores the increasing frequency of extreme weather events in Australia, attributed by various experts to climate change pressures that follow previous droughts and catastrophic bushfires, as discussed by The Jakarta Post and Reuters.