Australia and Oceania

New Zealand wildfire expected to burn for weeks

WELLINGTON, United States (AFP) — A large New Zealand wildfire is expected to burn for weeks longer but has moved away from some inhabited areas, allowing residents of an evacuated village to return home soon, firefighters said Monday. About 3,000 inhabitants of Wakefield, just outside Nelson at the top of South Island, were ordered out Saturday as flames razed bushland within two kilometers (1.2 miles) of their homes. The fire erupted early last week amid […]

Thousands without power as storm lashes Sydney

  SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Thousands of Sydney homes were without power Saturday after severe storms hit Australia’s largest city, causing transport hold-ups, inundating vehicles with floodwater and delaying a national football match. Heavy rains and lightning storms lashed parts of Sydney late Friday, with close to 60 millimetres (nearly two and a half inches) of rain falling in some areas. In Sydney’s west, which experienced some flash flooding, one suburb saw nearly 42 millimetres […]

‘Hundreds of thousands’ of cattle feared dead after Australia floods

TOWNSVILLE, Australia (AFP) —  Hundreds of thousands of cattle weakened from a severe drought are feared to have died in record-breaking floods in northeastern Australia, authorities said Friday, as they stepped up efforts to feed surviving livestock. Incessant rains over an almost two-week period have flooded swathes of Queensland state, with the full scale of the devastation on drought-hit cattle stations becoming clearer as floodwaters recede. “We are expecting hundreds of thousands in terms of […]

Massive drug bust exposes Mexico-Australia cartel ties

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australian and US authorities on Friday announced they had seized around a billion dollars worth of methylamphetamine — or “ice” — in a bust that revealed new ties between Mexican cartels and Aussie biker gangs. The Australian Federal Police said that a joint investigation led the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to uncover 1.7 tonnes of drugs in California last month. US authorities said the illicit cargo — with a street […]

Drought-stricken Aussie farmers now battered by floods

TOWNSVILLE, Australia (AFP) — Australian ranchers who struggled to keep their cattle alive during a prolonged drought last year are now battling to save herds from record-breaking floods inundating the northeast of the country, officials said on Wednesday. Australia’s military has been called in to drop fodder to cattle stranded by floodwaters in Queensland state to stop them from starving, Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said, with their owners still marooned in their farmsteads. “This is […]

Worst over’: Australia begins flood clean-up

TOWNSVILLE, Australia (AFP) — Weary residents in Australia’s flood-hit northeast returned home Wednesday to begin a massive clean-up after almost two weeks of heavy rain, as the wild weather moved south to inundate more towns. Communities remain cut off and thousands are still without power in the state of Queensland, but the weather bureau said the downpours that have seen areas doused with more than 300 millimeters (11.8 inches) of rain daily were easing. “It […]

Two dead in Australia floods as fresh warning issued

  TOWNSVILLE, Australia (AFP) — Two bodies were discovered in Australia’s flood-ravaged northeast on Tuesday as continuing heavy rain prompted authorities to warn of further flash flooding in the hours ahead. Prime Minister Scott Morrison toured the region where “once-in-a-century” floods have inundated thousands of homes and closed airports and schools, leaving cars and houses submerged. As stormwaters receded in some areas, he warned of a difficult recovery ahead. “It’s just going to be tough, […]

Military steps in as Australia floods bring crocs to the streets

by Abbey Smith Agence France-Presse CAIRNS, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s military has been deployed to tackle devastating “once-in-a-century” floods that have inundated homes, schools and airports in the country’s northeast, forcing hundreds to flee and bringing crocodiles onto the streets. The Australian Defence Forces filled sandbags, deployed amphibious cargo vehicles and helped pluck flashlight-wielding residents from their rooftops Monday, as monsoon rains drenched the northern state of Queensland. Australia’s tropical north typically experiences heavy rains during the […]

‘Unprecedented’ flooding to hit northeast Australia

by Glenda KWEK Agence France Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Thousands of people in northeast Australia should expect “unprecedented flooding”, authorities have warned, after relentless downpours forced a dam to be fully opened on Sunday. Once-in-a-century floods have turned streets into rivers and forced thousands to abandon their homes around the coastal city of Townsville in Queensland state. Australia’s tropical north typically experiences heavy rains during the monsoon season at this time of the year, […]

‘Once in a century’ floods hit northeast Australia

  SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Once in a century floods have turned streets into rivers and forced thousands to abandon their homes in northeast Australia, with authorities warning of further downpours over the next few days. Australia’s tropical north experiences heavy rains during the monsoon season at this time of the year, but the recent deluge has surged far above normal levels. Thousands of residents in the city of Townsville in northeast Queensland were without […]

January was Australia’s hottest month ever: govt

  SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia suffered its hottest month ever in January, when widespread heatwaves exacerbated an already devastating drought, fuelled bushfires and contributed to mass fish deaths, officials reported Friday. The government’s Bureau of Meteorology said the mean temperature across the vast continent in January exceeded 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time in recorded history. “We saw heatwave conditions affect large parts of the country through most of the […]

In photos: Raging floodwaters hit Townsville, Queensland in Australia

  (Eagle News) — For more than a week, Townsville in Queensland, Australia has been experiencing strong winds accompanied by heavy rainfall. On Friday, February 1, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said heaviest falls were occurring over Townsville, with up to 200 millimeters of water predicted that day. These photos here showed how the raging floodwaters hit the town. The Queensland Bureau of Meteorology had earlier raised warnings of flash floods within the area. The city […]