Extreme floods caused by monsoon rains in northeast Australia have resulted in homes, schools and airports being engulfed in water while crocodiles and snakes have flooded into the streets, prompting the country’s military to deploy members in an effort to tackle the problem.
Thousands have fled their homes and authorities have warned that there are still strong winds and more showers in store for the region.
Most of the city of Townsville in Queensland state is flooded and locals have been left without access to electricity and forced to seek safety on their roofs from the floods.
A surge of rain on Sunday, 3 February, forced authorities to open the floodgates on the Ross River Dam, releasing around 1,900 cubic metres of water downriver to relieve pressure.
Over the weekend, the flooding intensified and police were going door to door to warn residents to leave their homes for their own safety.
‘It’s basically not just a one-in-20-year event, it’s a one-in-100-year event,’ state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Saturday, according to CNN affiliate 9 News.
Roughly 20, 000 homes in the area are believed to have been lost to the floods.
The Australian Defence Forces have filled sandbags, deployed amphibious cargo vehicles and are helping to pluck flashlight-wielding residents from their rooftops today in the northern state of Queensland.
The area’s wildlife has also been affected by the rushing water – along with crocs and snakes being washed into the streets, land animals have been forced to seek refuge from the floods.
This unprecedented flooding has broken an 118-year record, according to Nine News Australia.
Picture: Unsplash
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