A major state of emergency was declared in Timor-Leste overnight after torrential rain led to flash flooding and landslides, a situation exacerbated by an alarming COVID-19 outbreak that sent much of the country into an extended lockdown last month.
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Mollymook local and former UN Peacekeeper Grant Schultz lived and worked in Timor-Leste and said photos of the flooding were extraordinary.
"It's a double blow for people in Timor-Leste, particularly in Dili which seems to have suffered the worst flooding, as the COVID infection rates are skyrocketing, and vaccinations due to be rolled out are now at risk because there is no refrigeration due to power cuts," he said.
"I recognise some of those Dili streets and to see that amount of water is just extraordinary, locals are used to heavy downpours during the wet season but certainly nothing like this."
Mr Schultz encouraged people to donate what they could to an online fundraiser for the flood victims.
"Timor is only a 45 minute flight from Darwin and we've got a long history of those people looking after Australia in World War II, at great personal sacrifice to themselves," he said.
"It's important to support them in times of need, particularly as they deal with these floods and a COVID outbreak at the same time.
"If people can dig deep into the pockets and find a few dollars, every little bit counts."
On Monday, authorities confirmed 11 people were killed in Dili with 6,000 left homeless and warned those numbers could increase as the country grappled with the heaviest rainfalls in recent history.
The National Directorate of Civil Protection told Portuguese News Agency Lusa "the whole city is a disaster zone" and it was not yet possible to determine the number of victims.
Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste, and neighbouring Flores Island in Indonesia were reported to be the hardest hit by three days of torrential rain which caused floods and landslides and cut power supplies and communications.
Timor-Leste was also due to receive its first COVAX vaccines this week but the medical supplies storage depot where they were supposed to be stored was flooded.
The fundraising webpage, established by Timor Awakening director Michael Stone, raised more than $20,000 in the 20 hours following the Easter Sunday flooding event, and the organisation appealed to the Australian government to provide humanitarian assistance.
"I hope in this time of dire need our great country Australia, with one of the best humanitarian and disaster relief capabilities in the world, together with our friends in New Zealand and other good neighbours, can provide a co-ordinated disaster relief effort, including the protection of the front line workers," Mr Stone wrote in a Facebook post.