Northeastern Australia Faces Flooding Of "Biblical Proportions"
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Flooding in Warwick, Queensland strands travelers and submerges crops. (Photo by rjrgmc28 via Flickr)
Half of Queensland's 1.8 million square kilometres, an area larger than France and Germany, has been affected by the flooding so far, cutting off or submerging more than 20 towns, officials said.
"In many ways, it [the flooding] is a disaster of biblical proportions," said Queensland Treasurer Andrew Fraser to reporters in the flooded city of Bundaberg on Saturday.
Officials warn the flooding could bring venomous snakes and crocodiles into homes.
The Guardian reports:
The flooding, the worst Australia has suffered for 50 years, has been caused by a so-called "La Niña" weather pattern, which cools waters in the eastern Pacific. Yet it has also seen high temperatures in Victoria and South Australia, meaning there have been warnings of major fires in the south of the country even as the north suffers devastating floods.
Rockhampton, a city of 75,000, has become the focus as flooding there is expected to peak on Tuesday or Wednesday. The rising waters could affect as much as 40 percent of the city, possibly isolating the area for as much as 10 days.
