Thousands Stranded by Floodwaters in Australia
The Balonne River at St. George located west of Brisbane is anticipated to rise 46 feet or 14 meters today, a little lower than the previous forecasted rise of 15 meters. Authorities forced around 3,000 people to evacuate the town and stay in a safer place.
At around 4:00 a.m. today local time, the river rose to a level of 13.85 meters. Until now, it is still slowly rising, which is why residents are called to leave St. George starting last weekend until yesterday. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has configured an ongoing rising level of the river which can be dangerous to the residents.
The overflowing water from the river has the potential to destroy as much as 10% of the cotton harvest in the country. Australia grabbed the third place in the world's biggest shippers based on the report revealed by Olam International Ltd.
A $50-million worth of damage took place when the water flooded Queensland and New South Wales, the state closes to Queensland. The damage was declared by the New South Wales Minister for Emergency Management, Robert McClelland on Feb. 3.
The same calamity that hit the state a year ago had damaged around 30,000 properties. It killed dozens of residents and delayed trade since mines were closed.
According to the bureau, rains and thunderstorms must be Isolated in the eastern districts of Australia within the next two days. The rainfall may trigger the rising level of water in the local streams. However, the effect isn't anticipated to contribute to the present flooding incident.
As remembered, Australia also experienced a floodwater disaster that swallowed the north-eastern part of the nation last year. The incident ended up with damages that are worth A$9 billion or 9 million U.S. dollars. It made the country more alert and quick at responding to this kind of calamity.