The Queensland state of Australia has experienced a record-breaking flood, and locals have been advised to minimize their movement because the waters are crocodile-infested.
Following torrential rains over the last week, about 100 residents of Burketown, the worst-affected isolated town, were moved to higher ground. Burketown is located some 1,300 miles (2,100 km) northwest of the state capital Brisbane.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Gregory River reached a record-breaking height of 12.3 meters, nearly doubling the previous mark of 6.78 meters (22.2 feet).
Due to recent crocodile sightings, police have advised Burketown residents to limit their activities in flood waters.
Read Also: IPCC set to release ‘solution-oriented’ 6th climate assessment report
“Due to the current conditions, it is unsafe for displaced people to return to their homes and police remind residents to limit movement in the flood water due to unseen hazards and recent crocodile sightings,” police said.
On Sunday, Burketown’s local council chief executive, Dan McKinlay, announced that 97 residents had been evacuated in the previous 48 hours.
The area’s water levels are already higher than the previous record of 6.78 meters set in March 2011 and were expected to reach their highest on Sunday, according to Australia’s Department of Meteorology.
Due to a multi-year La Nina weather pattern, Australia’s east has experienced repeated flooding over the past two years, including once-in-a-century floods that slammed isolated portions of the neighboring Northern Territory in January.
Story was adapted from Sky News
