warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Northeastern Australia Faces Flooding Of "Biblical Proportions"

Neon Tommy |
January 1, 2011 | 9:08 p.m. PST

Flooding in Warwick, Queensland strands travelers and submerges crops. (Photo by rjrgmc28 via Flickr)
Flooding in Warwick, Queensland strands travelers and submerges crops. (Photo by rjrgmc28 via Flickr)
The Northeastern Australian state of Queensland braces for more wet weather as area rivers continue to rise, leaving thousands homeless and causing flooding of "biblical proportions."

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.



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.

 
ntrandomness