Sydney, Jan 14 (IANS) The Premier of Australia’s Queensland said on Wednesday that regions in the state’s north and northwest remain at risk of flooding despite easing rainfall.
David Crisafulli told Nine Network television on Wednesday morning that parts of Queensland’s tropical north and northwest have received more rainfall over the past week than they typically would in an average year.
According to forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), rainfall across Queensland was expected to ease on Wednesday after ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji made landfall on the northeast coast on Sunday morning and moved west across the state, causing widespread flash flooding.
However, major flood warnings from the BoM for four rivers remained in place on Wednesday, and Crisafulli said that authorities have concerns about swollen catchments, Xinhua news agency reported.
“The great fear is if there is extra rain in catchments that are already high and not going down as quickly as we’d like,” he said.
“We are on an easing trend, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t the prospect of those heavy, isolated falls and in already swollen catchments.”
The premier on Tuesday said that more than 50,000 livestock have perished in floodwaters and that the figure is expected to continue rising.
Over 300 properties remained without electricity on Tuesday in the town of around 3,000 people, which has been cut off by floodwaters.
He said on Wednesday that authorities are conducting air drops of fodder and emergency veterinary supplies to cattle stranded on high ground in several locations.
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Koji made landfall on Queensland’s northeast coast on Sunday morning, bringing damaging winds and heavy rainfall, and is now moving west across the state.
Koji formed over the Coral Sea under favourable conditions, with sea-surface temperatures above 29 degrees celsius and low vertical wind shear. The system strengthened to a Category 2 cyclone before landfall on January 11, with estimated maximum sustained winds (averaged over 10-minutes) of 100 km/h (62 mph) and gusts of over 140 km/h (87 mph). After crossing the coast, Koji weakened rapidly but continued to transport deep tropical moisture inland.
–IANS
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