Video: Australia’s Queensland faces ‘biblical’ flood
BBC
1 January 2011 A senior official has described the flooding in Queensland, Australia, as a disaster of “biblical proportions”. State Treasurer Andrew Fraser said the economic impact would be severe, with huge costs compounded by lost income from mining, farming and tourism. Rockhampton, where 77,000 people live, is the latest city bracing for impact, amid warnings of 30ft (9m) floodwaters. More than 20 other towns have already been left cut off or flooded across an area larger than France and Germany. The crisis has been triggered by Australia’s wettest spring on record. At least six river systems across Queensland have broken their banks. The floods have affected about 200,000 people, and many have been evacuated. “We’re still directly battling floodwaters, we haven’t seen the peak of the flood yet at centres like Rockhampton,” said Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who toured the stricken areas.
‘Huge cost’ There are concerns that damage could cost billions of Australian dollars to repair. Mr Fraser has had to delay a fiscal and economic review in order to account for the costs of the floods. “In many ways, it is a disaster of biblical proportions,” he told journalists in the flood-hit town of Bundaberg. “The cost to the state will be huge – both in direct costs such as rebuilding roads, and other damaged infrastructure and providing relief payments to families – but also in lost income, while the mining, agriculture and tourism sectors recover,” he said. “Royalty forecasts are likely to be hit with freight lines cut and reports that many mines may not reach full production again for two to three months.” …
