Rising Floodwaters Force Evacuations in Eastern Australia

AFP/APP

Sydney: Fast-moving floodwaters rose Monday in northeastern Australia, forcing many to flee, blacking out homes, and sweeping away a chunk of a critical bridge.

Storms have already dumped more than a metre (39 inches) of rain in two days in parts of Queensland, engulfing homes, businesses, and roads in muddy waters, authorities said.

Aerial footage showed rural communities surrounded by floodwaters, cut off from nearby roads.

“We are going to see widespread rain and storms spread across much of northern Queensland,” the state’s premier, David Crisafulli, warned in a news conference.

“We remain prepared for the ongoing prospect of more rain and the likelihood of more flooding, both flash flooding and riverine flooding,” he said.

Emergency services carried out 11 “swift water rescues” overnight, the premier added.

Areas of flood-hit Townsville, a popular coastal tourist destination near the Great Barrier Reef, had been declared a “black zone,” he said.

“Our advice to residents in the black zone at the moment is to stay out of that zone and stay safe.”

Authorities instructed 2,100 people in the town to evacuate over the weekend, though about 10 percent refused, emergency services officials said.

‘Bridge Torn in Two’

One woman in her 60s was killed Sunday when the rescue boat she was in flipped over in the flood-hit rural town of Ingham, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Townsville, police said.

Her body was recovered later.

The floods swept away a section of a concrete bridge over a creek, cutting off the state’s main coastal road, the Bruce Highway, the state premier said.

“It’s not every day you see a bridge torn in two. That’s what has happened at Ollera Creek, and it is significant,” Crisafulli said.

Almost 11,000 properties remained without power across north Queensland, according to Ergon Energy, with no timeframe given for electricity restoration.

Townsville acting mayor Ann-Maree Greaney said the floods were expected to peak on Tuesday morning.

“The roads at the moment are cut off, so communities are isolated,” she told AFP.

The town was working to restore power and coordinating with major supermarkets to deliver food, she added.

As global temperatures rise due to climate change, scientists have warned that extreme weather events such as severe flooding, droughts, and wildfires will become more frequent and intense.