Australia has been hit by yet another natural disaster. Hardly a month after wild cyclones caused destruction in Queensland and Northern Territory, wild storms shook New South Wales this week. Since Monday April 20, the majority of New South Wales (nsw) has been declared a natural disaster zone, in what some officials are calling the worst storm in a decade.

This “storm of the century” has claimed eight lives, left over 160,000 homes and businesses without power, and flooded many roads. It knocked down countless trees and power lines, causing extensive damage.

nsw State Emergency Service is working around the clock responding to more than 18,000 calls, performing 139 flood rescues, and helping more than 2,000 people isolated by floodwaters. Volunteer crews from neighboring states have been brought in to help manage the crisis.

The adverse weather has been relentless. Over four days of cyclonic conditions have stopped daily operations.

On Wednesday, nsw Premier Mike Baird told residents to go home early if possible due to the worsening weather conditions. Public transport routes were shut down; over 100 schools were closed.

Parts of nsw have received 16 inches of rainfall in a 48-hour period. Waves as high as 48 feet have pounded the beaches, redefining the iconic coastline.

On the fourth day of the storm, an evacuation order remained in place after one of Sydney’s largest rivers, the Georges River, burst its banks, destroying hundreds of homes.

On Thursday, nsw took advantage of the calm weather to begin the clean-up process. The “super storm” has caused millions of dollars in immediate damage. While the final cost of the storm is yet unknown, experts believe it will go into the billions, further damaging the struggling economy.

As natural disaster pound Australia one after another, one begins to wonder how “natural” these disasters are. Is “mother nature” really the cause? Our free booklet Why ‘Natural’ Disasters? explains:

Every few weeks it seems, Earth unleashes devastating violence of some sort or other. An earthquake—a tornado—a tsunami—a massive storm—a flood—a drought—a rash of wildfires. It levels property, destroys homes, decimates crops, claims lives. And another constellation of survivors are left breathless in its wake, tasked with trying to piece their shattered lives back together.

In 2011, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry explained the reason for the increase in such calamities. They are “a sign that we are living in the very last days. Weather disasters, as they increase in frequency and intensity, are actually fulfilling Bible prophecy. These are among the signs Christ gave of the end of the world we know—and the beginning of a beautiful new world we can hardly even imagine.”

For more information, request a free copy of Why ‘Natural’ Disasters?