Floods in Australia: Authorities fear that more than 20,000 homes will be flooded

‘Once-in-a-century’ floods in northeastern Australia have destroyed homes, closed schools and airports, displaced people, and left roads infested with crocodiles.

According to the report of the French news agency AFP, given the flooding caused by the monsoon rains in Queensland, the army was called to help, who burned torches from the roofs of the residences to evacuate those seeking help. Australia’s northern regions experienced monsoon rains that exceeded normal levels.

Aid workers and the army say they have received calls from more than 1,000 people waiting for help. Crocodiles can be seen crossing roads and when the flood recedes, they can also come into unexpected places such as farmland, dams, or waterholes, says Queensland Environment Minister Liani Enoch. According to him, ‘Similarly, snakes are very good swimmers and they can also appear suddenly in unexpected places.

Erin Hahn, a local, shared photos of a crocodile sitting in shallow water in her father’s yard. Another crocodile was photographed climbing a tree in flood waters. Local police have also warned people of other dangers in the floodwaters, such as leaking sewers.

Officials said the floodgates were opened, which they said led to dangerous water flows.

Authorities in Townsville, Australia have warned residents of the presence of crocodiles and snakes in the flood waters.

More than 1100 people have been evacuated from the affected town as a result of this ‘once in a century’ flood. On Sunday, officials opened the floodgates of a dam that was filled to twice its capacity due to a week of record rains. According to officials, more heavy rains are expected in the coming days, while more than 20,000 houses are expected to be flooded.

Townsville received one meter (or 3.3 feet) of rain last week, which is 20 times more than it normally gets this time of year. It’s never happened before, we’ve never seen it before, says Queensland Premier Anastacia Pellashe. He said: This is a once-in-a-century event, not just in two decades.

Authorities were forced to open the Ross River Dam on Sunday evening to reduce the water level, which released 1,900 cubic meters of water per second. North Queensland has a hot humid climate with monsoon rains from December to April. However, the current weather conditions in Townsville are very unusual.

According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, monsoon rains did not fall in parts of the state that are suffering from severe drought. January was the hottest month in Australia. In the southern city of Adelaide, temperatures first hit 47.7C and then 49.5C, breaking the city’s record for the highest temperature twice in a month. There were also incidents of bushfires due to the heat. 

40 such incidents of fire occurred in the peninsula state of Tasmania, which has been in the grip of extreme heat for the past two weeks. Severe weather conditions have led to hospital admissions, increased power load-shedding, and large-scale wild animal deaths.