Floods in Australia.

[WeetBix KiD]

 

 

Extreme weather across parts of Queensland and northern NSW has left at least three people dead and a damage bill likely to run into hundreds of millions of dollars.

 

Hundreds are spending the night in evacuation centres across central and southern Queensland as floodwaters climb towards record heights in some parts.

Emergency crews are working into the evening to rescue people isolated by the rising waters.

The widespread disaster, triggered by heavy rainfall and wind from ex-tropical cyclone Oswald, comes two years after floods devastated much of the same areas of the state, resulting in 35 deaths.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has attempted to reassure residents of the affected areas that the overall flooding won't be as severe as in 2011, but concedes locally flooding is worse in some parts of the state.

In the worst-affected city of Bundaberg in central Queensland, 14 aircraft were called upon to rescue 1500 stranded residents as authorities issued mandatory evacuation orders.

Army choppers equipped with night vision are being used to evacuate stranded residents into the evening.

There are also plans underway to shift 130 patients from the local hospital, with many to be airlifted to Brisbane.

Mr Newman said floodwaters moving at more than 70km/h in Bundaberg had the potential to wash away houses.

But with the disaster affecting most of central and southeast Queensland, he said the government had to be careful where it placed emergency resources.

"Once again, sadly Queensland is facing a major disaster crisis," the premier told reporters in Brisbane.

"(But) this state and its people will rise to the challenge. Together we will get through this."

The disaster has already claimed three lives in Queensland: a motorcyclist whose body was pulled from a creek south of Brisbane, an 81-year-old man whose body was found near Bundaberg, and a 27-year-old man who tried to cross a flooded creek near Gympie.

Several other regional centres in central and southern Queensland are flooding or expecting significant floods, including Gympie, Maryborough, Warwick, Laidley and Rockhampton.

The cities of Brisbane and Ipswich in the southeast are also experiencing their own floods.

Queensland Treasurer Tim Nicholls estimates the damage bill will run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

"(The damage is) obviously going to be in the tens, and more likely the hundreds of millions of dollars," Mr Nicholls told AAP.

"The damage is going to be as diverse as local schools and local community halls to major infrastructure."

The state government on Monday opened up disaster assistance funding to residents of 10 more Queensland regions, including those in Brisbane and Ipswich.

The Insurance Council of Australia says $43 million worth of insurance claims had already been lodged.

In north Queensland, the storm still made its presence known, causing telecommunications to be knocked out for most of the day, leaving residents without mobile reception and working ATMs.

By Monday evening Telstra had restored some phone services.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the disaster was heartbreaking so soon after the deadly 2011 floods.

"Across Queensland the wild weather has broken a lot of hearts. It's a very tough period," she said, and repeated promises of federal help as the state recovers.

Mr Newman also set up the Queensland Flood Appeal on Monday, kicking it off with a $1 million state government donation.

 

 

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/01/28/10/01/qld-in-grip-of-new-deadly-flood-crisis

[brynne]

I saw it to from news yesterday.

This water broked alot.

[RedBaird]

The dramatic video of two women and a baby heli-rescued from back of a flooded pickup was shown on USA national news. The Rescuer's helmet-cam showed him coming down on line, and the women putting the baby in bag to be hoisted with the rescuer.

[LuCkY*13]

i saw it to..and last week i saw documentary about the last one before this one..in Queensland..they were just getting out of one sever flood...and Boom there's another one...

i just hope the ppl are strong enough to keep life going after this one

[WeetBix KiD]

The dramatic video of two women and a baby heli-rescued from back of a flooded pickup was shown on USA national news. The Rescuer's helmet-cam showed him coming down on line, and the women putting the baby in bag to be hoisted with the rescuer.

 

They just had an update on that story on the news. Mum and bub are well, she said it was heart wrenching seeing putting her boy in the bag and watching him being lifted into the helicopter.