Flood warning in Australia

Flood warnings were issued, thousands of homes lost power and a man was missing as heavy rain lashed southeast Australia on Thursday.

Rivers across Australia's most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria, and the island state of Tasmania were rising dangerously by months of above-average rainfall. In the northern Tasmanian town of Railton, 90 homes were threatened by floodwaters after overnight rain.

The State Emergency Service issued an emergency warning for Railton, urging residents to prepare to evacuate. The state's northern half was on high alert for flash flooding, with heavy rain forecast to continue into Friday morning. Nearly 10,000 homes in Victoria were without power overnight said the State Control Center.