**Overstromingen in Australië **
Als gevolg van de La Ninã heeft Australë te maken met veel wind en extreem veel regen. Dit leidt tot veel overstromingen.
Het oosten van Australië heeft te maken met overstromingen en stormen. Afgelopen week hebben er duizenden huizen zonder stroom gezeten en de wind heeft vele bomen ontworteld. Automobilisten moesten gered worden uit de overstroomde wegen toen er in Townsville 50 mm neerslag viel in minder dan 40 minuten.
Afgelopen week zorgde de moesson ervoor dat er in sommige gebieden van Queensland 350 mm regen viel in 24 uur. Er valt nu nog steeds veel regen in het midden en westen van Queensland, de zandzakken worden aangesleept en en deel van de bevolking is geëvacueerd.
Als dit lagedrukgebied van de moesson blijft zorgen voor hevige regen, zullen er nog meer gebieden overstromen. De treinen rijden de komende dagen niet meer door de overstroming en doordat de rails beschadigd zijn.
De Australische oostkust heeft dit ongewone weer patroon met veel regen en wind te danken aan het fenomeen La Ninã, wat een gevolg is van de verandering in oppervlaktetemperaturen van de Pacific Ocean.
Bron: BCC / Weeronline)
Auteur: Laura van der Blij | 18 januari 2008 12:15
More evacuations expected in Emerald
Posted 2 hours 26 minutes ago
Updated 1 hour 32 minutes ago
http://www.abc.net.au/news/img/2007/btn_editorspick_prev_26x16.png http://www.abc.net.au/news/img/2007/btn_editorspick_next_26x16.png Slideshow: Photo 1 of 2
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200801/r217931_851461.jpgFlooding: Water spills over Emerald’s Fairbairn Dam wall for the first time in 17 years (user submitted: Ewen McPhee)
[ul]
[li]**Video: **Qld flooding spreads (ABC News)[/li][li][**Map: **Emerald 4720](http://www.abc.net.au/news/maps/map.htm?lat=-23.5245&long=148.1567&caption=Emerald 4720)[/li][li]**Related Story: **Flood peak nears Charleville[/li][li]**Related Link: **Send us your photos and videos[/li][li]**Related Link: **ABC Western Queensland[/ul][/li]Further evacuations are expected in the central Queensland town of Emerald this morning as floodwaters continue to rise.
Up to 50 residences that front the Nogoa River were advised to evacuate last night.
Many residents made their way to the Emerald Town Hall to register their whereabouts.
Three hundred households in low-lying areas were also being asked to prepare for possible evacuations this morning.
Emerald acting Mayor Kerry Hayes says residents are being informed of the emerging situation.
“It has been carrying on now for the last 72 hours and what we are trying to do is obviously make the best calculations so that the community is least affected,” he said.
Rising floodwaters in the Nogoa River are again expected to cut the Capricorn Highway this morning.
Rains ended
But the weather bureau’s Gavin Holcombe says the long run of wet weather has ended across Queensland.
He says it will not rain again in the flooded regions for at least a week.
“All the rain has disappeared from the state now,” he said.
“There is a little bit of rain that will occur today about the Herbert-Burdekin coast, but over the general bulk of the state we will see some general showers over northern Cape York peninsula area and maybe a few showers over eastern districts, but that’s all,” he said.
"We will have a high pressure system over the Tasman Sea for a number of days, so generally speaking the pattern is a fairly benign one and will keep things fairly stable.
Farmers devastated
Property owner Jack Dillon says while all the attention is on Charleville and Emerald, major flooding has devastated cattle farmers in the Jericho and Alpha shires in central Queensland.
He says record floods in the areas have caused massive stock losses.
“The worst of it is down at the head of Belyando right through between Springsure and Alpha you would say very, very heavy, exceptionally heavy,” he said.
"I have been up in the chopper, there are paddocks of three and four hundred head of cattle - there’s not a beast alive.
“It would be equivalent to 1974 in the Gulf.”
(Bron:ABC.NET.)