Flooded airports and crocodiles swimming in the streets: Australia is hit by powerful floods
Kyiv • UNN
More than 300 people have been evacuated in the Australian state of Queensland due to flooding caused by a tropical cyclone. Roads and railways are blocked, homes are flooded, and the city of Cairns is at risk of being left without clean water.
More than 300 people have been evacuated in the state of Queensland, in northeastern Australia, due to the Jasper flood caused by a tropical cyclone. This was reported by UNN with reference to Aljazeera.
Details
The bad weather began as early as December 13. At that time, the storm winds did not cause significant damage to the community, but then the rains began, which caused the flooding.
As of December 18, roads and railroad tracks were blocked, local residents were cut off, many homes were flooded and drinking water was running low, and 14,000 homes and businesses were without power.
Eyewitnesses photographed a 2.8-meter crocodile swimming through the streets of an Australian town.
Heavy rainfall in the northeastern part of the country has led to rising waters around the town of Cairns, a popular tourist destination that serves as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.
The city is almost completely cut off by floodwaters, and local authorities fear that its 160,000 residents will soon lose access to clean drinking water.
In Cairns, about 600 mm (23.6 inches) of rain fell in 40 hours from Saturday to early Monday morning, more than three times the December average.
At the local airport, all flights were either canceled or postponed due to heavy rains. Some planes were even partially flooded due to the flood.
Addendum
However, the flooding has also affected many towns outside of Cairns. In the rural community of Vujal Vujal, nine people, including a sick child, spent the night on the roof of a hospital. There they tried to hide from the floods.
According to current data, no one has been killed or seriously injured by the flood.
The Premier of Queensland, Stephen Miles, said that the scale of the storm was unprecedented.
We see a lot of natural disasters, and this is probably the worst I can remember
Recall
Meanwhile, a wave of severe cold hit China, causing widespread transportation disruptions and power outages, with temperatures expected to drop to -40°C in some regions.
