Cnn
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One person has died and thousands of others are under evacuation orders in northeast Australia after intense rains triggered sudden dangerous floods that flooded houses and businesses.
The floods have struck large parts of the northern coast of Queensland since Friday, the city of Ingham and the neighboring town of Townsville have been strongly affected. Residents of the suburbs and low coastal cities were invited to evacuate immediately.
The Prime Minister of Queensland, David Crisafulli, confirmed that a person died on Sunday in Ingham’s floods.
The woman drowned after a rescue boat in which she was traveling after hitting a tree on Sunday morning, according to CNN Affiliate Nine News. The state disasters coordinator Shane Chelepy said that the woman was one of the six people on the boat, the other five savages.
“It is a very united community, our thoughts and our prayers are with the family,” said Crisafulli.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that it was “heartbreaking news”, in an article on X. “My thoughts are with the family and the whole community at this terrible moment.”
Albanese said the federal government “will provide the resources to deal with this event”.
In the suburbs of Townsville in Bluewater, an emergency alert was issued on Sunday, with local officials of response to disasters telling residents “your life can be in danger”.
“Water increases quickly and there will be dangerous and potentially fatal floods,” said the Townsville disaster management group. “If you do not leave it, it can become too dangerous for the emergency services to save you.”
Residents of the Townsville “black zone”, an area of the city most in danger of floods, were warned to evacuate Sunday at noon and that Crisafulli said that evacuation centers had been opened.
The Queensland Environment, Science and Innovation Department warned residents to be wary of crocodiles that could hide in flood waters, according to nine new.
“During the floods, crocodiles can present themselves in places where they have not been seen before while they move in search of quieter waters,” the ministry said in a statement. “Expect crocodiles in all the north and extreme northern waterways of Queensland even if there is no warning sign.”
Townsville, a city of approximately 200,000 inhabitants, was struck by devastating floods in 2019 which were qualified as the first of the state of the time as a “event of one over 100 years”.
Crisafulli said on Sunday that this weekend rains could match these conditions.
“Take precautions, prepare for the worst, listen to the advice. This is a serious event, ”he said.
The floods occur after days of torrential rain and harmful winds caused by two tropical low -pressure systems, according to the Australian meteorology office.
Several areas have been hammered with 24 -hour precipitation totals up to 600 mm (about 23 inches), some areas see 250 mm in just six hours, depending on the office.
Torrential rains and strong winds that could probably trigger sudden floods should last until Monday, the office said.
Ingham could see his worst floods in 60 years.
“The Herbert (River) reached 15.2 meters in this flood. It is currently 14.89 meters and up. He should reach levels similar to 1967 during the day, “said Crisafulli.