Crocodiles, a risk as Australian floodwaters recede
AUSTRALIA: Residents of the flood-hit Australian town of
Rockhampton were Sunday warned against the risk of saltwater crocodiles,
as the flooded Fitzroy River slowly receded.
Torrential rains that trailed tropical cyclone Oswald flooded parts
of the northeast state of Queensland, and as residents of Rockhampton
waited for the waters to drain, authorities urged caution.
"The Fitzroy River is a natural habitat for saltwater crocodiles,"
deputy mayor Tony Williams told reporters.
"It's always a danger there. It's something that we need to be
mindful of, and (we are) informing the residents not to go into those
waters because of those risks that are there with those crocodiles."
Floodwaters have swamped the gardens of about 1,100 houses in the
central Queensland town, but officials are expecting much less damage
than from epic floods in 2011 when hundreds of homes and businesses were
inundated.
But further south in Bundaberg, residents of the worst-hit areas were
returning to their homes to collect personal belongings and begin the
clean-up in the town badly battered by the floods and storms.
Bundaberg was devastated as the Burnett River peaked at a record 9.6
metres (32 feet) last week and the floodwaters overwhelmed about 2,000
homes and scores of businesses.
AFP
|