A crocodile shows its face on a flooded road in Ingham, Queensland. /X
As a tropical cyclone struck northeastern Australia, damage continued, including villages being submerged and airports being closed.
According to Australia’s AAP news agency on the 18th (local time), approximately 600 mm of rain fell in Cairns, a tourist city in Queensland, over the past 40 hours due to Cyclone Jasper. This is more than three times the average precipitation of 182 mm in December. The Meteorological Administration predicted that about 300 mm of rain would fall near Cairns by this afternoon. If this continues, local media reported that this region will record the highest rainfall in 46 years since 1977.
Due to this heavy rain, roads and bridges in low-lying areas of Cairns were blocked, and some houses were completely submerged in water. Some residents took refuge on rooftops and were rescued. Cairns Airport canceled all international and domestic flights. Even if the rain stops, operations are not expected to resume immediately. This is because a significant amount of debris is expected to remain on the runway. The airport said that normal operations will likely be possible only after all debris is cleared.
A highway in Palmerston is split in half due to a cyclone that struck Queensland, Australia on the 18th. /Reuters Yonhap News A crocodile appears on a flooded road in Ingham, Queensland, Australia. /AFP Yonhap News
Severe thunderstorms occurred in south-east Queensland throughout the weekend. At around 2:30 pm on the 16th, a 10-year-old girl was struck by lightning in Beerwah, and was in critical condition.
Even crocodiles appeared in overflowing drains. A video posted on social media shows an alligator sticking her head out of a flooded road. Crocodiles have been spotted in various places, including Ingham and Ujaluzal, Queensland. A resident of Ujal Ujal said, “The mud in the village was infested with crocodiles.” “You have to be very careful when you go into the water,” Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said.
Sally Isbers, associate professor at the Crocodile Research Center, also said, “You must follow crocodile safety guidelines, such as not sticking your hands or feet out of the boat and maintaining a distance of 5 meters from the water,” adding, “There is always danger lurking around crocodiles, so do not approach them. “You shouldn’t do something foolish,” he said. She added: “Crocodiles are not mindless killing machines; they only attack when they feel threatened.”
A flooded town in Cairns, Queensland. /Reuters Yonhap News
#Village #flooded #crocodile #warning.. #Damage #caused #cyclone #hitting #Australia
2023-12-18 06:34:00
