Australia TILTING and BACKWASHING:
/ Floods create 'inland sea' in Australia. PHOTO DOWN!
"The waters are still rising and we've already seen it exceed the previous record (from) some time in the 1800s," Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said. "The town of Moree is inundated with water -- so north Moree is not only cut off, but many of the properties there are flooded," O'Farrell said. "From the air it looks like an inland sea," New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell said after visiting the region. /
/ More than 10,000 Australians were Friday stranded by flooding in the country’s east, with thousands ordered to leave their homes or businesses and the military called in to airlift supplies. “This one’s going to be worse,” Moree mayor Katrina Humphries told national broadcaster ABC. /
/ Record floods swamp southwest Queensland, with Mitchell, Roma and St George underwater /
/ Record flooding strands NSW residents. An emergncy is unfolding across northern New South Wales, with record floodwaters isolating towns and forcing residents from their homes after days of heavy rain. /
/ Thousands evacuated as the waters rise in northern NSW. MORE than 2200 people have spent the night in evacuation centres across northwest NSW as flooding that has affected the region for 10 days shows no sign of easing. /
Floods create 'inland sea' in Australia
SYDNEY (AFP) - Major flooding hit parts of Australia's east Friday, stranding thousands of residents, prompting a military airlift and leaving some communities only accessible by helicopter.
The deluge, which has sparked dozens of rescues and left about 7,275 people isolated in various parts of New South Wales state has also impacted Queensland to the north where some regions have been declared a natural disaster zone.
"From the air it looks like an inland sea," New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell said after visiting the region.
Evacuations have been ordered from some houses and businesses in the New South Wales town of Moree, where more than 600 people registered with an evacuation shelter as the Mehi River peaked, the State Emergency Service said.
"The town of Moree is inundated with water -- so north Moree is not only cut off, but many of the properties there are flooded," O'Farrell said.
"As you fly over the centre of the town there are streets that look like canals that have more relevance to Venice than north western New South Wales."
A Royal Australian Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft was moving bedding to Moree, as locals sandbagged buildings against the Mehi and rising Gwydir river as the water hit levels not seen in decades.
In Queensland, the inland town of Roma was cut off by floodwaters which are threatening scores of homes and expected to more further west towards Charleville on Saturday where there were fears whether the levy would hold.
As the crisis deepened, unprecedented floodwaters isolated an evacuation centre in the Queensland town of Mitchell, forcing authorities to relocate about 300 people who had taken shelter there.
"The waters are still rising and we've already seen it exceed the previous record (from) some time in the 1800s," Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said.
"These are very, very difficult circumstances for the people of this town."
Bligh said Mitchell's hospital had also been evacuated and five schools closed amid fears the Maranoa river could reach a record level of 10 metres (33 feet).
In New South Wales, the Mehi river has now peaked but the water is expected to remain for several days and authorities have warned of the dangers of floodwaters.
"It's a huge logistical operation with a major flood," SES Deputy Commissioner Steve Pearce told the Seven Network.
"There have been some circumstances where we've had to use one if not all of our 18 helicopters to airlift people out of some isolated areas.
"Fortunately most people abided by those evacuation orders."
The floods come just over a year after massive floods deluged much of Queensland and northern New South Wales, swamping mines and farmland, wiping out entire hamlets and bringing the city of Brisbane to a watery standstill.
As the rains continued, Moree mayor Katrina Humphries said while her town was well prepared, there was no telling when the downpour would end.
"Mother Nature has her way and she'll stop crying when it suits her," she said.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/world/12804867/floods-create-i...
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Thousands Stranded by Australian Floods
Sydney. More than 10,000 Australians were Friday stranded by flooding in the country’s east, with thousands ordered to leave their homes or businesses and the military called in to airlift supplies.
The New South Wales State Emergency Service said about 10,500 people were thought to be isolated by the waters that have rushed across the state’s north and southeast Queensland after days of constant rain.
More than 2,000 people have been ordered to evacuate buildings in the New South Wales town of Moree, which is preparing for its second flood in a matter of months.
“This one’s going to be worse,” Moree mayor Katrina Humphries told national broadcaster ABC.
“People who got a bit of water last time know to be prepared to get a lot more water this time.”
A Royal Australian Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft is moving humanitarian supplies to Moree, as locals sandbagged buildings against the rising Mehi and Gwydir rivers, which are expected to hit levels not seen in close to 40 years.
“It’s a huge logistical operation with a major flood,” SES Deputy Commissioner Steve Pearce told the Seven Network.
“There have been some circumstances where we’ve had to use one if not all of our 18 helicopters to airlift people out of some isolated areas.
“Fortunately most people abided by those evacuation orders.”
Further north in Queensland state, some 15 homes have reportedly been flooded after the Maranoa river swelled overnight while scores of people spent the night in evacuation centres.
The floods come just over a year after massive floods deluged much of Queensland and northern New South Wales, swamping mines and farmland, wiping out entire hamlets and bringing the city of Brisbane to a watery standstill.
Humphries said while Moree was well prepared, there was no telling when the downpour would end.
“Mother Nature has her way and she’ll stop crying when it suits her,” she said.
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/international/thousands-stranded-by-...
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Record floods swamp southwest Queensland, with Mitchell, Roma and St George underwater
EXTRA SES crews are arriving in the southwest Queensland town of Mitchell where a record flood has forced more than 200 people out of their homes.
Emergency Management Queensland (EMQ) says about 50 per cent of homes in the town have suffered some form of inundation.
The local council says at least 45 homes in Mitchell have been flooded, with water rising above floorboards.
More than 200 people have evacuated their homes, after the Maranoa River rose to 9.3 metres and is still rising, exceeding the previous record peak of 9.26 metres set in 1956.
A disaster situation was declared at Mitchell.
Two evacuation centres are in place, one at the Mitchell State School and the other at the Maranoa Regional Council works depot.
Heavy rain last night triggered creek and river rises throughout the Maranoa River and Bungil Creek catchments, but the Bureau of Meteorology says the rain is easing.
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Major flooding is expected at Roma and St George today.
The bureau says flooding at Roma will exceed the major flood level of 7 metres most likely tomorrow while the Balonne River at St George could be higher than the March 2010 peak of 13.4 metres on Monday and Tuesday.
St George is expecting the river to at least rise to 11 metres today.
River rises and major flood levels are also continuing between Currawong and Woodlands along the Maranoa River.
The Warrego River at Charleville continues to swell following significant falls in the area and is likely to exceed six metres on Friday.
The Murweh Shire Council and SES crews have erected a temporary flood barrier at Charleville which has boosted the town's levee to 7.7 metres, which is above the 1997 flood level.
Five schools have been closed in Mitchell and nearby flood-affected towns.
Mitchell State School, Charleville State School, St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Charleville, Begonia State School and Roma State College have been closed.
The Department of Education is closely watching the flood situation surrounding 10 other schools in the area.
While Charleville State High School remains open, parents are being urged to keep their children at home.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/record-floods-swamp-sou...
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An emergncy is unfolding across northern New South Wales, with record floodwaters isolating towns and forcing residents from their homes after days of heavy rain.
The cotton capital of Moree in northern NSW has been cut in two by its largest flood in 35 years, and many areas are receiving supplies by air.
Several thousand people are sheltering in evacuation centres as the swollen Mehi River inundates low-lying parts of the town.
This morning the Mehi passed its forecast flood peak of 10.6 metres, reaching a similar level to that seen during the town's 1976 floods.
The town's 9,000 residents have been separated by floodwaters since the main bridge was closed last night and homes and businesses have been sandbagged.
State and federal disaster flood assistance money is being made available and a full-scale emergency operation is underway, involving the police, military, state emergency services and local authorities
The State Emergency Service (SES) says floodwaters, which may take days to recede, have isolated more than 17,000 people across New South Wales.
"We have 17 helicopters doing rescues as well as resupplying places like Wee Waa and Narrabri, right down to the coast," he said.
Premier Barry O'Farrell is currently visiting the area and describes the scene from the air as extraordinary.
Local resident Diana Smith, who lives 20 kilometres east of Moree on the Gwydir Highway, says her family had to stay home overnight because they were cut off from evacuation centres.
"We're on the Mie Mie Creek which has burst its banks and it's virtually just... we're like an island, just a sea of water all around us," she said.
"It's quite scary actually. We can't get into Moree and we can't get any further east. We would have to go by chopper if we wanted to evacuate."
Another local, Peter Birch, who runs a cotton farm outside Moree, says floodwater has trapped him on the second storey of his home.
"We woke up this morning with wallabies, kangaroos, an echidna and a koala sitting in the trees, so I think everything is headed to any little bit of high ground they can," he said.
"About every 10 minutes you see a kangaroo swimming down the river."
Mr Birch says the floods are set to wipe out $500,000 to $750,000 worth of cotton crops from each 500-hectare farm in the area.
On the state's mid north coast, about 4,000 people are cut off at Taree.
Further south, the flood situation still remains precarious near Wee Waa, where there are concerns about the town's levee.
There is an evacuation warning for the town's 1,600 residents.
SES region controller Kath Cain says water has already reached the expected peak of 7.3m.
This morning a chopper was used to evacuate a Wee Waa family concerned their levee bank would not hold.
There is also an evacuation warning at Barraba, affecting 50 people.
Several highways, including the Newell, Carnarvon and Gwydir are closed.
A total of 16 local government areas have now received disaster declarations.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-03/record-flooding-strands-nsw-r...
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Thousands evacuated as the waters rise in northern NSW
MORE than 2200 people have spent the night in evacuation centres across northwest NSW as flooding that has affected the region for 10 days shows no sign of easing.
About 1600 people were evacuated from homes in North Moree, Yarraman, Gwydirfield and Bendygleet last night, with the Mehi River forecast to burst its banks this morning.
Most were being accommodated at the Police Community Youth Club in South Moree.
The Mehi River is expected to swell up to levels not seen since 1976.
A further 680 people left their homes in Pallamallawa and Biniguy, east of Moree, as the Gwydir River flooded.
About 1650 residents may be asked to leave their homes in Wee Waa as the Namoi River threatens to flood.
State Emergency Service spokesman Andrew Richards said there was a predicted flood peak in Moree of about 10.6 metres at about 9am with the
"That's the equivalent to the 1976 flood there in Moree," Mr Richards said.
"It's not quite the record but it's almost the record."
A further 11,000 people are isolated across the state in areas including Wee Waa and around the Moree and Richmond River region.
"We've had a fairly busy yesterday afternoon and overnight," Mr Richards said.
"The majority of evacuations were carried out yesterday afternoon and into the evening.
"Most of these people should be out of these areas by now.
"For the people out there in the rest of the state that are subject to evacuation warning it's just a matter of staying tuned to the local radio and listening to updates."
NSW Police took more than 80 calls at its flood public information and inquiry centre.
Premier Barry O'Farrell and Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner are due to tour flood-affected parts of Moree this morning.
The federal government has announced that disaster funding will be made available in Tenterfield, Greater Taree, Moree, Narrabri and Gwydir local government areas.
Queensland awash
Meanwhile the regional Queensland town of Mitchell is experiencing its worst ever flood as the deluge in the state's sodden southeast shows no sign of letting up.
One hundred and four people have been evacuated from Mitchell, west of Roma, with residents spending the night at a makeshift evacuation centre at a council depot.
Officials say the swollen Maranoa River rose to 9.3 metres early this morning, with dozens of houses and businesses expected to be flooded.
Mitchell has had 94 millimetres of rain in the past two days as a monsoonal trough hovers over central and southern Queensland.
It's threatening to dump more than 100mm of rain on the region between Charleville and Roma in the next 24 hours.
http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/thousands-evacuated-as-flooding-dev...
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