Australia declares east coast floods a national emergency

A tree lies toppled in a park following an overnight storm in the suburb of Stanmore in Sydney, Australia, March 9, 2022. REUTERS/Jane Wardell

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia declared a national emergency on Wednesday in response to devastating floods along its east coast, and designated catastrophe zones in towns swept away by swollen rivers.

"Australia is becoming a harder country to live in because of these natural disasters," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday after touring the worst-hit Northern Rivers area of New South Wales.