Catastrophic flood in Australia more than 200 000 displaced people

SYDNEY - The death toll for the time speaks of "only" three dead, but is a figure that does not make the drama that is living the Australian state of Queensland. The authorities estimate that 200 000 number of people affected by the sudden invasion of the waters after a month of torrential rain swept across 22 rural villages and a region as large as France and Germany combined.

Thus appears not an exaggeration when the Australian authorities speak of "a disaster of biblical proportions." LOOK AT THE PICTURES military aircraft and helicopters began to supply food and necessities to flooded areas of the northeast of the country, including the city of Rockhampton (77,000 inhabitants) at the mouth of the Fitzroy River, where the water level reached nine meters.

The regional airport is closed. After a summit with the emergency services, the chief of police in Queensland, Alistair Dawson, warned that the flood will continue for a month. The flooding of the Fitzroy is expected Wednesday. According to preliminary estimates, the loss exceeds the one billion Australian dollars (about 750 million euro) in an economy that depends on agriculture, livestock and mines.

"Rockhampton gives the impression of being in the midst of an inland sea," said the prime minister of the state, Anna Bligh, after flying over the region. "The amount of water flowing in rivers is unprecedented," he added. "The affected region is the largest in New South Wales and the worst is yet to come to cities such as Rockhampton.

Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, has announced the allocation of emergency funds for millions in the regions most affected by the exceptional wave of bad weather. "When the waters recede and damage will be evident, it is clear that we need to work with the Queensland state government to rebuild," he said.

In such a context, then it seems almost a miracle that so far the death toll has stopped three victims. Yesterday the police had rescued the body of a drowned woman, and today have been discovered the bodies of a man missing since Saturday in a river and that of a motorist whose car was swept away by water.

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