The Australian state of Queensland is experiencing major flooding after record rainfall. It produces a lot of misery and also very striking scenes. For example, images show aircraft at Cairns airport being flooded. Crocodiles have also been spotted in the middle of flooded villages.
LOOK. Planes and cars submerged after torrential rain in Australia:
Authorities expect it could be the worst flooding in Queensland on record. Thousands of people have been evacuated, others are still stuck in their homes for the time being. Several roads and homes are flooded, and people are without power in several places.
The cause of all the misery is extreme weather caused by the remnants of a tropical cyclone named Jasper. In some areas, an entire year’s worth of rain has fallen. The city of Cairns, a city of more than 150,000 people known as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, has seen more than 2 meters of rain in recent days.
More rain
Fortunately, there are no deaths or missing persons. Hundreds of people had to be rescued. And the bad weather isn’t over yet. Intense downpours are also expected over the next 24 hours. These coincide with high tide, which means that low-lying areas have to brace themselves extra.
The Prime Minister of Queensland, Steven Miles, speaks about unprecedented scenes in a response to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “I’ve spoken to several people locally and they say they’ve never experienced anything like this before. When someone all the way from north Queensland says something like that, it really means something.” Floods have occurred before in the region.
The Prime Minister says the main concern now is getting people trapped in rising waters to safety, such as those in the remote town of Wujal Wujal, about 175 kilometers north of Cairns.
Stranded on the roof of a hospital
Miles gave the example of nine people, including a sick child, who were forced to spend the night on a hospital roof after rescue crews were unable to reach them. The group managed to move to another location on Monday, but according to Miles the entire village now has to be evacuated.
“And then we have to arrange drinking water, electricity, telecommunications, the roads… Many roads are blocked. And we cannot bring in air support at the moment, because the clouds are too low and too persistent, and the rain is too heavy,” Miles added. “We have people ready to carry out those rescues. But we have to wait until it is safe to do that.”
Australian authorities on Sunday urged thousands of people in northern Queensland to move to higher ground.
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