After a flood emergency forced hundreds of emergency, cut power to houses, and washed away sections of a crucial bridge, American authorities are scrambling to aid remote communities in Queensland.
The flooding has claimed a person’s lifestyle and caused devastation across the country’s north, with people in Townsville, Ingham, and Cardwell among the hardest hit.
” Record” downpours are set to continue, authorities say, with parts of the region already experiencing almost 1.3m ( 4.2ft ) of rain since Saturday, causing rivers and reservoirs to overflow.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese claimed that the crisis had” the best of Australians” and that he had been informed about the response efforts on Monday.
He continued,” I’ve seen Australians helping one another in their time of need,” adding that the” threat from floodwaters” would continue to affect the affected areas for days.
Efforts to assist the hardest-hit areas have been hindered by flood damage to parts of the Bruce Highway- the main thoroughfare stretching 1, 673km ( 1039 miles ) from the state’s south.
The Queensland Trucking Association reported to the ABC that the limited collapse of a bridge could cause additional 700km to travel on dangerous roads and stifle the distribution of crucial products.
Queensland’s Premier David Crisafulli offered his condolences to the “tight-knit” town of Ingham, after a 63-year-old woman died when a State Emergency Service ( SES ) dinghy capsized during a rescue attempt on Sunday.
” We are profoundly sad for their damage”, he told reporters on Monday.
Crisafulli even urged everyone who lives in the so-called “black-zone” of the floods to leave their homes because the local Ross River is still a danger. This includes six Townsville cities.
The neighborhood received six weeks of snowfall in three days, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.
The Townsville Local Disaster Management Group warned that about 2, 000 houses had become flooded if water levels rise before Tuesday’s intended top.
Some homes have already been flooded. One Ingham citizen who lives with her old mother reported to the Townsville Bulletin that she had waited seven days for crisis services to help them leave after their residence was damaged.
” I was crying, I was violent. People also hung up on me when I called ]emergency range ] triple-0, saying: ‘ We’re hectic,'” she said.
Although the snowfall is now decreasing, significant flood warnings are still in effect for towns along some rivers.
If the Herbert river exceeds a height of 15.2 meters, Crisafulli warns that Ingham may encounter its worst flooding in 60 years.
Emergency workers have continued to work around the clock, with the SES performing 11″ timely water” rescues on Sunday night and receiving 480 calls for assistance on Sunday night. Some areas are unable to request help because of the wide-reported power outages that are still being reported.
Individuals should be on the lookout for their neighbors and keep an eye on them whenever feasible, according to SES Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy. He added that some 400 persons were now being housed in evacuation centres across Townsville, Ingham, and Cardwell.
Additionally, authorities have warned visitors to watch out for alligators because they might be hiding in streams apart from their normal habitats.
Located in the tropics, northeast Queensland is susceptible to harmful storms, hurricanes, and flood.
However, climate scientists have warned that more frequent and intense extreme rainfall events are occurring because of warmer waters and a hotter earth.