Heavy rains hit flooded Rockhampton

HEAVY rains threatened further flooding in Australia’s drenched northeast yesterday as besieged Rockhampton cut supplies to “irresponsible” residents who refused to leave water-bound homes.

Torrential downpours could cause flash-flooding and worsen existing floods, the weather bureau said, as water levels slowly started to recede in regional centre Rockhampton, a town virtually surrounded by a brown inland sea.

Australia’s coal-mining and farming belt near Brisbane is suffering “biblical” floods across an area the size of Texas, after La Nina, a weather system, deluged Queensland state with its wettest year on record.