Australian authorities on Sunday urged thousands of people in north Queensland state to move to higher ground because of the danger of flooding from torrential rains. Queensland authorities said major flooding was underway in some suburbs of Cairns, a tourist hub of around 170,000 people located around 1,700 km (1,060 miles) north of state capital Brisbane.
“Properties in these areas may continue to experience flooding with the approaching high tide and continued rainfall. Residents should move to higher ground now,” Queensland Fire and Emergency Services said on its website in one of several emergency alerts for parts of north Queensland.
Jasper dumped months’ worth of rain in the far north of Queensland state at the weekend, forcing some people to flee their homes and crowd on rooftops to escape fast-rising rivers.
“The problem is, the rain won’t stop and until it eases up, we can’t get aerial support into remote places,” the state’s premier, Dr Steven Miles, told ABC Television.
