A woman died in Australia and thousands of people were forced to flee their homes after torrential precipitation caused floods in northern Queensland.
Authorities warn that flood water could reach the second floor in a situation they described as dangerous and fatal.
More than 700 mm (26 inches) of rain fell on certain parts of the northern Queensland in the last 24 hours and that “record precipitation” continues on Monday, according to Queensland Prime Minister David Crisafulli.
Meteorologists say that it could be the worst floods in the region for over 60 years.
Crisafulli said that the conditions were different from all that northern Queensland had known “for a long time”.
“It is not only intensity, but it is also longevity,” he told Australian ABC radiudiffuser.
Thousands of people living in the city of Townsville were invited to leave their house at noon on Sunday while the authorities brought 100,000 sandbags to block flood waters.
Parties of the road between Townsville and the Cairns tourism center have been cut, hindering efforts to obtain rescue teams and sandbags in the region.
