Emergency officials in the Australian state of Queensland on Saturday evacuated inhabitants to higher ground as record-breaking floods brought on by intense rain pounded the area’s northwest.
After severe rains caused flooding earlier this week, 53 inhabitants of Burketown in the remote Gulf Country, roughly 2,115 kilometres (1,314 miles) northwest of the state capital Brisbane, have been evacuated, police said on Saturday.
On Saturday, authorities urged a complete evacuation of the town, where just about 100 people were still living, as the nation’s weather forecaster anticipated that river levels would crest on Sunday.
“We are confident we can move the remaining people if we have to,” Superintendent Tom Armitt told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), adding that floodwaters were still rising in the remote area.
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The emergency comes after frequent flooding in Australia’s east over the last two years due to a multi-year La Nina weather event, including “once in a century” floods that hit remote areas in the neighboring Northern Territory, in January.
At Burketown, the flood topped the March 2011 record of 6.87 metres after up to 293 mm of rain fell on Thursday and Friday, the Bureau of Meteorology previously said.
Police were coordinating the evacuation via helicopter to the mining town of Mount Isa, about 425 km (264 miles) south.
At Gregory, a small town about 120 km (75 miles) south of Burketown, the impact of flooding was not yet clear as contacting the community remained difficult.
Flood alerts were current on Saturday for large swaths of Queensland, and there were also warnings for severe storms, heavy rainfall, and potential flash flooding in many parts, including the Gulf Country.
Story adapted from Reuters
