Moree, Australia -- Thousands of Australians were cut off by floodwaters on Saturday as heavy rain sent river levels soaring across the country's east, leaving isolated farmers dependent on air drops for supplies.
The country's new disaster comes a year after devastating floods across all four of Australia's eastern states. Rescue workers said river levels in some areas were again hitting levels not seen for half a century.
Flood warnings were in place for dozens of rivers in New South Wales and Queensland states on Saturday, with some reaching flood levels above 13 metres, weather forecasters said.
Australia's Bureau of Meteorology has predicted flooding will continue for days or even weeks in some areas.
In the worst affected region, the north of New South Wales state, the town of Moree has been cut off by floodwaters, rescue workers said.
Rooftop rescues and air drops by helicopter and fixed wing aircraft have been underway, with residents sometimes fighting for space with deadly snakes also trying get to high ground to avoid drowning.
"The worst affected areas for us are around Moree, where we have around 10,000 people who are isolated," Phil Campbell, a spokesman for the State Emergency Service, told Reuters.
More than 2,000 people had been evacuated around the state with more than 16,000 cut off, he said, while 18 helicopters and one fixed-wing aircraft were busy re-supplying isolated communities. Around Moree, the flooding was worse than that seen last year, he said.
"It is the worst flooding seen there for around 50 years," he said.
Government officials have issued a string of evacuation warnings in the last few days as the water levels continued to rise across the region.
Hundreds of properties have been flooded and would be unsafe to return to immediately even once waters receded. Air drops have included medical supplies and in one rooftop rescue, snakes were a real problem.
Government agencies have set up makeshift shelters in both states for evacuees. In Queensland, the towns of Roma and Charleville have been badly hit, with the town of St George expected to see a major river rise soon.
Authorities were carefully watching levees set up around some communities to hold back floodwaters.
On the northeastern coast up to 180mm more rain fell overnight around Townsville.
Crops could be affected by the floods, government forecasters have said. Last year's flood disaster also inundated coal mines, pushing up coal prices.
CBS News