More rain for Australia’s flooded Queensland

More rain is adding to flood woes in Eastern Australia.

Travel Insurance News - 06/01/2011

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Hundreds of homes already under water by flooding in Eastern Australia’s state of Queensland are again under deluge from fresh rains. Some communities are only just starting to see water levels recede. Others are expecting river levels to peak in the next few days.

Meteorologists say the worst rain is headed for southern and central areas of Queensland. The rainfall is expected to continue through the weekend.

The Fitzroy river peaked in Rockhampton on Wednesday. The flood waters there are now slowly receding. In St George, residents are braced for more flooding as the community’s Balonne river hits its latest high at some point over the weekend.

Across Queensland, some 1,200 homes have been under flood waters since last month, when heavy rains fell in the area. Officials say another 10,700 homes have suffered some damage.

Weather forecaster Bryan Rolstone was quoted in broadcasts by ABC Australia. He expects the latest round of rain to hit the Wide Bay-Burnett region. The towns of Rockhampton and Bundaberg are expected to suffer from the latest rains. Bundaberg has already been hit by heavy flooding.

Ian Stewart, the state’s disaster co-ordinator, found the forecast ‘worrying’. He added that officials were monitoring rain patterns extremely carefully.

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