Emergency flood warnings issued in northeast Australia

Sydney (The Uttam Hindu): Emergency flood warnings were issued for communities in the northeastern Australian state of Queensland on Thursday. Authorities issued Watch and Act alerts for communities along the Jandowae Creek and in the South Burnett region, both approximately 180 km northwest of Brisbane, with residents in low-lying areas urged to leave. "Warn neighbors, secure belongings and enact your emergency plan," the alert said. Intense rainfall over several days in Queensland's populous southeast triggered flash flooding and power outages in the area.

Over 2,000 properties in the area were without power on Wednesday night. As of Thursday morning, power had been restored to most of the affected properties. The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) had 12 flood warnings in places across the state on Thursday, including a major warning for the Logan River south of Brisbane. The State Emergency Service said it received 145 calls for assistance in the 24 hours to Thursday morning, mostly in the state's southeast and connected to the heavy rain, Xinhua news agency reported.

The region's biggest dam at Wivenhoe, west of Brisbane, on Tuesday began releasing water after reaching 90 per cent capacity. It marked the first release of water from the dam since severe flooding in 2022. The BoM said that conditions would ease in Queensland's southeast on Thursday, with storms set to hit the state's north and west. Earlier this week, millions of people in southeast Australia were warned to prepare for severe heat and possible fires as temperatures across Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, and in parts of South Australia were forecast to surpass 40 degrees Celsius, prompting widespread emergency warnings.

A total fire ban has also been declared for most of Victoria and firefighting authorities across the state have been put on high alert. Meteorologists have warned that dry lightning storms could elevate the fire risk. Jason Heffernan, chief executive of the Country Fire Authority, said at a press conference on Sunday evening that a combination of the heat and dry winds would make for horrendous fire conditions in Victoria's west. "If fires do start in the landscape, they will be hard to suppress, they will spread very quickly," he said.