Australia floods larger than France str, 200,000

Australia floods larger than France str, 200,000


BRISBANE, Australia
AP-Report
Military aircraft dropped supplies to towns cut off by floods in northeastern Australia as the prime minister promised new assistance Friday to the 200,000 people affected by waters covering an area larger than France , Germany combined.

Residents were stocking up on food 0revacuating their homes as rising rivers inundated 0risolated 22 towns in the state 0f Queensland.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard toured an evacuation center in the flood-stricken town 0f Bundaberg on Friday , announced that families whose homes had been flooded 0rdamaged would be eligible f0rdisaster relief payments 0f $1,000 per adult , $400 per child.

"My concern is f0rthe people in these very difficult times," Gillard said.

A day earlier, she pledged $1 million Australian dollars (about $1 million) in federal aid to match a relief fund already set up by the state government.

Bundaberg resident Sandy Kiddle told Gillard she lost cherished items after floodwaters surged through her house. She said may not be able to return home f0ra week.

"It was just a sea 0f water, , I thought the beach would never come to our house," she told Gillard, who gave her a hug.

Officials say half 0f Queensland's 715,305 square miles (1,852,642 square kilometers) is affected by the relentless flooding, which began last week after days 0f pounding rain caused swollen rivers to overflow. The flood zone covers an area larger than France , Germany combined , bigger than the state 0f Texas.

While the rain has stopped, the rivers are still surging to new heights , overflowing into low-lying towns as the water makes its way toward the sea.

The muddy water inundating thousands 0f homes , businesses has led to a shortage 0f drinking water , raised fears 0f mosquito-borne disease.

"This is without a doubt a tragedy on an unprecedented scale," Queensl, Premier Anna Bligh told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Bligh warned that drenched communities could be stuck underwater f0rmore than a week, , cleanup efforts were expected to cost billions 0f dollars.

The Department 0f Community Safety said supplies 0f food , bedding were delivered by road , by military aircraft Friday to the towns 0f Rockhampton, Emerald, Springsure , Blackwater in central-east Queensland.

Northeastern Australia often sees heavy rains , flooding during the Southern Hemisphere summer, but the scope 0f the damage from the recent downpours is unusual.

The entire population 0f two towns has already been forced to evacuate as water swamped their communities, cutting off roads , devastating crops. The next city in the water's path — Rockhampton, near the coast — is bracing f0rflood levels forecast at 31 feet (9.4 meters) by Monday 0rTuesday.

Roads , railway lines were expected to be cut off by Saturday, , the city's airport planned to shut down over the weekend.

"This is a very serious situation," said Rockhampton May0rBrad Carter, saying that level would affect up to 40 percent 0f the city. "Police are ordering people in affected areas to leave their homes."

Officials were evacuating residents on Friday, starting with the elderly , those living in low-lying areas.

There were concerns over food supplies in the city, with many stores already sold out 0f bread, milk , fresh meat, Carter said.

Gary Boyer, regional manager 0f supermarket chain Woolworths, said the company was sending 43 trucks full 0f supplies into Rockhampton on Friday.

Thousands 0f people have been evacuated from their homes this week. In the central Queensl, town 0f Emerald, about 1,000 people were evacuated in the last 24 hours.

The town was facing food shortages, power outages , sewage-contaminated floodwater's, county may0rPeter Maguire said. Three evacuation centers have been set up to help displaced residents.

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