PERTH (Reuters) - Thousands of Australians were forced from
their homes on Monday because of floods that have risen to record
levels in some areas and killed one person, and authorities issued
warnings for more than a dozen rivers in Queensland and New South Wales
states.
Australia's coal industry, which is concentrated in
Queensland and New South Wales, was largely unaffected, easing concern
about a repeat of last year's disastrous floods that sent global coal
prices soaring.
But heavy rain is expected to take a toll on the region's agriculture, particularly on cotton, sugarcane, soybean and corn.
Floodwaters
lap at the first floor of a home near Charleville, about 685 km (426
miles) west of Brisbane February 6, 2012. Thousands of Australians were
forced from their homes on Monday because of floods that have risen to
record levels in some areas and killed one person, and authorities
issued warnings for more than a dozen rivers in Queensland and New South
Wales states. - REUTERS
About 2,500 people were
evacuated from the Queensland town of St. George, where flooding is
expected to reach a record level of 14 metres (45 feet) or higher, state
police said.
"We're hearing from people whose families have
lived on the property for 100 or more years who've never seen water in
their homes who have now got water up to the roof," Queensland Premier
Anna Bligh told Sky news.
"So we know that something that's never
been seen before is on its way." St. George was also hit in 2011, when
flash floods across Queensland and New South Wales killed about 35
people, swamped 30,000 houses, and wiped out roads, bridges and rail
lines.
The flooding across the two states this year has resulted
in tens of thousands of people being cut off in the last few days, with
some having to battle with deadly snakes as they scrambled for dry
ground.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has forecast that flooding will continue for weeks in some areas.
A
flood warning sign starts to disappear below floodwaters near
Charleville, about 685 km (426 miles) west of Brisbane February 6, 2012.
Thousands of Australians were forced from their homes on Monday because
of floods that have risen to record levels in some areas and killed one
person, and authorities issued warnings for more than a dozen rivers in
Queensland and New South Wales states. - REUTERS
The
town of Moree, the centre of the New South Wales' cotton industry was
cut in half by record floodwaters, and some estimated that each farm in
the area could lose hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of crops.
Australia
is the world's largest coal exporter and accounts for roughly twothirds
of global trade of coking coal, used for steel production. The 2011
floods pushed up global coal prices as production was brought to a near
standstill.
"The coal mines themselves are not experiencing any
difficulties," Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael
Roche said.
"So far, the Queensland coal industry, as far as we are aware, has missed the flooding."
On
Friday, Whitehaven Coal said it had shut four mines because of heavy
rain, but the mines were not flooded and no equipment had been damaged.
Global miner Xstrata said there was no impact on its operations.
"It's business as usual," spokeswoman Kathryn Lamond said.
But the industry was still concerned about disruption if there was no letup in the rain and more flooding, Roche said.
Many mines are still carrying significant volumes of water from last year's floods, so more heavy rain is a danger.
Storm
damage was estimated to have cut Australia's commodityweighted
economy's gross domestic product growth (GDP) by A$20 billion, or 1.5
percent, in the 20102011 financial year.
