0 Three Dead, Dramatic Rescues in Australia Floods

Three people were dead and dozens plucked from roofs and marooned cars in dramatic air rescues in northeastern Australia Monday as severe floods swept through two states, inundating hundreds of homes. The bodies of two men swept away by floodwaters were found Monday, one in the Queensland state capital Brisbane and another further north at Gympie, following the earlier discovery of an elderly man's body near the city of Bundaberg. A pregnant woman and her three-year-old son were rushed to hospital after a large tree fell on them as they were walking Monday morning in Brisbane. 

They were reported to have head injuries. There were dozens of dramatic rescues as rapidly rising waters left people suddenly stranded, including one family who had to zip their infant son into a waterproof bag to be winched to safety by a helicopter as floods surrounded their car. Queensland Premier Campbell Newman said four cities were facing major flooding in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Oswald with 1,200 homes already under water in Bundaberg where record floods forced dozens to retreat to their roofs. 

Some 18 people there had been airlifted by late morning but at least 12 others were still awaiting help, with 100 troops deployed to assist with rescues and two military aircraft en route, according to mayor Mal Forman. Three people were missing in Bundaberg, home to about 50,000 people 360 kilometers north of Brisbane, and Newman described the unfolding emergency there as "critical" with as many as 2,000 homes expected to flood. "Even though we have helicopters, the weather conditions are appalling and dangerous for flying. The floodwaters are very swift and it's also dangerous to go out in flood boats," he said. 

Deputy mayor David Batt said "hundreds of people, if not thousands of people, will be looking for evacuation in the next few hours" as the swollen Burnett River surged beyond nine meters , breaking all records. Gale-force gusts caused high-rise apartment block windows to explode and sent balcony furniture flying across the popular Surfers Paradise holiday strip overnight, also tearing down commercial awnings and signage. There was also flooding in Gympie, Maryborough and the Lockyer Valley, which was the epicenter of devastating floods two years ago that claimed 35 lives and brought Brisbane to a standstill for several days. 

Brisbane was again expected to flood, with at least 3,000 homes and 1,250 businesses in danger. Water was waist-deep in its lowest-lying suburbs by lunchtime Monday and the city's ferry services were halted. Almost 250,000 homes across Queensland were without power Monday and the triple-zero emergency phone network was down in a number of areas, with mobile phones also out of service. Rural towns were isolated by floodwaters in neighboring New South Wales state, where hundreds of millimeters of rain and strong winds were expected in coming hours including in Sydney. Cyclones and floods are common in Australia's northeast during the warmer summer months, with a series of huge storms wreaking havoc across Queensland in early 2011, devastating large agricultural districts and key coal mines.

Agence France-Presse
source : the jakarta globe