Urgent Flood Alerts Announced for Northeastern Queensland, Australia
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Sydney, Dec 19 (NationPress) Urgent flood alerts have been announced for communities in the northeastern Australian state of Queensland on Thursday.
Authorities issued Watch and Act notifications for areas along the Jandowae Creek and within the South Burnett region, situated around 180 km northwest of Brisbane, urging residents in low-lying sections to evacuate.
"Notify neighbors, secure your belongings, and implement your emergency strategy," the notice advised.
Prolonged heavy rainfall in Queensland's densely populated southeast has resulted in flash floods and outages in the region.
On Wednesday night, over 2,000 properties were reported without power. By Thursday morning, most of these areas had their electricity restored.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) reported having 12 flood warnings active across the state on Thursday, including a significant alert for the Logan River south of Brisbane.
The State Emergency Service noted it received 145 calls for help in the 24 hours leading up to Thursday morning, primarily in the southeastern part of the state and related to the intense rainfall, according to Xinhua news agency.
The region's largest dam, Wivenhoe, located west of Brisbane, began releasing water on Tuesday after reaching 90 percent capacity. This was the first water release from the dam since the severe flooding incident in 2022.
The BoM indicated that conditions would improve in Queensland's southeast on Thursday, while storms were expected to affect the northern and western parts of the state.
Earlier this week, millions in southeastern Australia were cautioned to prepare for extreme heat and potential fires, with temperatures in Victoria, the country’s second-most populous state, and parts of South Australia predicted to exceed 40 degrees Celsius, leading to widespread emergency alerts.
A total fire ban has been enforced across most of Victoria, and firefighting authorities in the state have been placed on high alert.
Meteorologists warned that dry lightning storms could heighten fire risks.
Jason Heffernan, chief executive of the Country Fire Authority, stated during a press conference on Sunday evening that the combination of heat and dry winds would create extremely dangerous fire conditions in western Victoria.
"If fires ignite in the landscape, they will be challenging to control and will spread rapidly," he cautioned.
