The military is deployed to deliver around 70,000 sandbags to homes and rescue residents who have been forced onto their rooftops.
Townsville: Record rainfall has triggered “dangerous” floods bringing crocodiles onto the streets in the Australian coastal city of Townsville in Queensland.
A record 1.16 metres (3.8ft) of rain has fallen in the area in a week, forcing the opening of the city’s dam to prevent the Ross River from breaking its banks.
Authorities warned of “dangerous and high velocity flows” along the Ross River after the flood gates were opened.
The Australian army has been deployed to deliver around 70,000 sandbags to households and help rescue residents who have been forced onto their rooftops by the “unprecedented” flooding.
Crocodiles – and snakes too – have been spotted by residents battling the deluge of rain.
Erin Hahn posted a photo on Facebook of a crocodile outside her father’s house on O’Reilly Street in the suburb of Mundingburra.
“Cannot stress it enough to stay out of the water,” she wrote.
Zdenka Vekic posted in response: “And I thought the snake at my front door was scary.”
Queensland Police issued a blunt warning for people to stay out of floodwaters.
“If the thought of coming face to face with a crocodile isn’t deterrent enough, before you start playing in flood waters you should always remember the distinct possibility you could be wading in your neighbour’s faeces. Yes. Their faeces,” the force said in a statement on Twitter.
Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill described the rainfall as a “one-in-100-year event” and said on Monday: “We’re not out of the woods yet.”
Up to 20,000 homes are at risk if the heavy rainfall continues, according to officials.
Around 16,000 properties are without power and the city’s airport, courts and schools have been forced to close.
The Bureau of Meteorology said the heavy rain could continue until Thursday and some areas could expect more than a year’s worth of rain before conditions ease.
More severe weather could whip up tornadoes and destructive winds in the days ahead, it added.
State premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said: “This is unprecedented, we’ve never seen anything like this before.”
News Courtesy: Sky News
