75,000 stranded by Australian floodwaters

THE Australian city of Rockhampton and its 75,000 people were completely cut off by floodwaters yesterday, as the unprecedented surge of water across the country's north-east caused huge disruption.

• An aerial view shows all too clearly the extent of the disaster in the suburb of Depot Hill in Rockhampton Picture: AFP/Getty Images

Drenching rain that started before Christmas has flooded an area the size of France and Germany combined in northeastern Queensland state. Rivers are overflowing and at least 22 towns and cities in the farming region are inundated.

In coastal Rockhampton, waters from the still-swelling Fitzroy River closed the airport and cut the main highway to the state capital of Brisbane. Scores of families abandoned their homes for relief centres on high ground.

By last night, floodwaters had inundated the last route into the city, Queensland premier Anna Bligh said. "Rockhampton is now completely stranded - a town of 75,000 people - no airport, rail or road," she said.

Residents emptied supermarket shelves of food and bottled water in recent days as they stocked up to reduce the need to get around in waist-deep waters.

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Authorities have warned the Fitzroy will continue rising until late today or early tomorrow local time.

Mayor Brad Carter has said about 40 per cent of the city could be affected by the surging waters, and residents could be forced to wait at least two weeks before returning home.

State authorities say about 200,000 people have been affected by the floods, Australia's worst in a decade.

Prime minister Julia Gillard yesterday extended emergency relief to those affected, including low-interest loans to farmers to begin cleaning up and get their businesses running again.

"This is a major natural disaster, and recovery will take a significant amount of time," Ms Gillard said. The damage could ultimately amount to hundreds of millions of dollars, she told reporters.

"The extent of flooding being experienced by Queensland is unprecedented and requires a national and united response."

Floodwaters have brought most coal mining operations to a halt in Queensland - the state exports most of the coking coal produced in Australia.Sugar cane production was also hit, as was the grain harvest.

Three people have died in the flooding since Saturday, though police say seven other people have drowned separately involving swollen rivers and water accidents since tropical deluges began in late November.

Chief Superintendent Alistair Dawson said the latest victim was a man who drowned on yesterday when the car he was travelling in was washed off a flooded causeway in the town of Aramac, in central Queensland.

Earlier yesterday, police said they had recovered the body of a man who was last seen on Saturday when his small boat was swamped by raging waters in a different part of the state.

The rains that started the flooding have eased, and water levels have dropped in some towns. But officials said about 1,000 people were living in evacuation centres, and it may be a month before the floodwaters dry up completely.

Authorities warned of health risks from overflowing sewage in towns where floodwaters remained on the rise.

Ms Bligh said the flow coming down the river systems was "nothing short of astonishing" and said the effects could last weeks, even if rains eased.

"Given the scale and size of this disaster, we will continue to have major issues to deal with throughout January," she said.

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