Relentless rains wreak havoc across Australia’s east
SYDNEY: Heavy rains triggered flash flooding across parts of Australia’s east yesterday, inundating roads, cutting off towns and damaging properties, as authorities advised residents in low-lying areas to move to higher ground.
Several regions across southeastern Queensland and northern New South Wales have picked up at least two months’ amount of rainfall over the last three days. Springbrook in Queensland received 514mm of rain over the last 48 hours, more than double the January average.
Queensland Deputy Premier Cameron Dick urged people to stay off roads until the weather cleared.
“Roads will be dangerous and life-threatening flash flooding could occur in places you don’t anticipate,” he said.
Rainfall of up to 350mm is forecast over the next 24 hours, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing a severe weather warning stretching over 250km across the Wide Bay Burnett region and
A photo released by the Victoria Police shows an emergency worker during a flood rescue operation at the Buchan campground in east Gippsland, near Melbourne in Victoria state.
southeast of Queensland.
In neighbouring New South Wales state, dozens of people were rescued from campgrounds, which usually become crowded during the holiday weeks, cut off by floodwaters.
Television footage showed rescue crews wading through waisthigh
water, cars stuck in floodwaters, fallen trees on top of roofs and water running through houses.
Some regions pounded by the wild weather were already hit by another storm over the Christmas holidays that killed 10 people and knocked off power for tens of thousands.