Record Flooding In Queensland, Australia Leaves Airports Underwater And Crocodiles Wandering The Streets
Screenshot: Guardian Australia
Tropical cyclone Jasper has hit some areas of northern Queensland, Australia with over a year’s worth of rain, causing flash floods and washing out roads, making evacuation a difficulty. Authorities say this is the worst flooding on record in the state, and the rainfall isn’t expected to abate for another day. The flooding has become so extreme that airplanes are stranded on the city of Cairns’ runways, and crocodiles have followed floodwaters into towns.
Queensland floods: Australia airport submerged and crocodiles seen after record rain | BBC News
Attempts to evacuate the 300 residents living in Wujal Wujal have been called off because the conditions have worsened, despite nine people spending the night on the roof of a hospital to avoid the floodwaters. Hundreds of homes and businesses have been washed away, and many more are left stranded without power, safe drinking water, or roads to get out. Queensland Premier Steven Miles stated that many roads have been blocked, and the weather has largely thwarted aerial support for evacuation efforts. In addition to the area being difficult to access, the regional airport has seen several feet of water, meaning planes and helicopters don’t have a regional base of operations.
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Weather forecasters data shows that the rains will persist for at least another day. Low-lying communities will be hit hardest, as rivers are expected to continue overflowing beyond their banks for several days, even as the tropical storm moves on and rainfall slows. Unfortunately for the communities impacted, this weather coincides with a cycle of higher-than-average tides, exacerbating flooding. The situation could potentially get worse before it gets better. State officials expect the damage to exceed 1 billion Australian dollars (over $670 million USD).
It’s hard not to immediately tie this event to massive global climate change trends. Australia has been plagued by a series of climate disasters in recent years, including severe drought and the resulting rampant bushfires, several years of record flooding, and mass coral reef bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef. Once-in-a-lifetime events like the storm and flooding in Queensland are the result of decades of failure to address the global climate crisis.
Despite all the weather and flooding in QLD, no missing persons or deaths have been reported yet. Here’s hoping the situation remains non-lethal.
