'Heartbreaking' floods swamp Australia's cattle country

Homes inubdated by floodwaters successful the municipality of Windorah successful central-west Queensland, Australia. Photo: Handout / QUEENSLAND FIRE DEPARTMENT/AFP
Source: AFP

Whole herds of cattle person drowned successful immense inland floods seeping crossed the Australian outback, officials said Tuesday arsenic the muddy tide drenched an country the size of France.

Swollen rivers burst their banks aft unusually dense downpours past week implicit outback Queensland, an arid portion location to immoderate of the country's largest cattle ranches.

Officials said much than 100,000 livestock -- cattle, sheep, goats and horses -- had been swept away, were missing, oregon had drowned.

"These are lone aboriginal indications of the magnitude of this catastrophe and portion these preliminary numbers are shocking, we are expecting them to proceed to ascent arsenic flood waters recede," said authorities agriculture curate Tony Perrett.

"It's heartbreaking to see what occidental Queenslanders volition beryllium going done implicit the weeks and months arsenic they observe the afloat grade of losses and harm -- and commencement the agelong slog to commencement again."

Researchers person repeatedly warned that clime alteration amplifies the hazard of earthy disasters specified arsenic bushfires, floods and cyclones.

Fodder driblet

Flood waters stretched immoderate 500,000 quadrate kilometres (190,000 quadrate miles) crossed sparsely populated occidental Queensland, Perrett said, a landmass astir equivalent to France.

Industry assemblage AgForce told section media immoderate cattle ranches whitethorn person mislaid astir 100 percent of their herd.

The authorities Bureau of Meteorology said immoderate towns had recorded arsenic overmuch arsenic 500mm (20 inches) of rainfall successful the abstraction of a week -- their emblematic yearly total.

Muddy livestock survived by crowding unneurotic connected the fewer tiny hills cresting supra the flood waters, photos posted to societal media showed.

Queensland's occurrence section utilized helicopters to driblet bales of fodder adjacent surviving animals chopped disconnected from food.

The state's superior industries section said immoderate 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) of roadworthy had been flooded -- a region greater than the famed Route 66 connecting Chicago to Los Angeles.

Rising waters connected Tuesday greeting encircled the distant outpost of Thargomindah, which describes itself arsenic Australia's farthest municipality from the sea.

A makeshift ungraded flood levy was dug astir the municipality to support its 200 residents.

Cattle state

"Preparations are good underway, including securing nutrient deliveries, ensuring the airdrome has capable craft substance and if request beryllium an evacuation constituent and accommodation," the shire assembly said.

"Our shire's isolated properties are stocked with nutrient and supplies and doing good nether the circumstances."

Australia's alleged "channel country" is 1 of the country's biggest cattle fattening grounds.

Most of the clip its sweeping plains are adust and inhospitable.

But cattle gorge themselves connected the pastures that sprout whenever bedewed play rains capable the adust creek beds -- oregon channels -- that snake done the region.

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Source: AFP