Australia floods: Sunshine and Gold Coast covered in 'sea foam'
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Tourists, residents and emergency services were left bemused by the huge swathes of foam which were whipped up by high winds and then thrown onto land in eastern Australia.
Foam fills Australian town by itnnews
This was the bizarre scene on Australia's Sunshine Coast over the weekend, where extreme weather has blanketed coastal towns with several feet of 'sea foam'.
Tourists, residents and emergency services were left bemused by the huge swathes of foam which were whipped up by high winds and then thrown onto land in eastern Australia.
Videos have emerged of cars attempting to navigate through the thick 'snow-like' sea foam in Alexandra Headland and nearby Mooloolaba.
The sea foam forms when powerful storms force water into the air before it is washed onto the beachfront.
The foam may have provided beachgoers with a unique photo opportunity, but it has also had serious consequences as local business have been affected during travel chaos.
The extreme weather has provided some spectacular images on the Sunshine Coast with foam being stirred up by the …
Onlookers said the foam reached three metres high at its peak, with emergency services urging residents and tourists to cancel all non-essential travel.
Dozens of Australians have been left stranded by severe flooding in northeast Australia in the last few days.
The extreme weather has also killed three people and affected thousands of homes.
Thousands have evacuated their homes across Queensland and neighbouring New South Wales with widespread flood warnings in the southern path of ex-tropical cyclone Oswald.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the "wild weather had broken a lot of hearts", with some Queensland residents experiencing their third flood in two years, including the devastating 2011 inundation which killed 35 people.
Worst of Queensland flooding still to come
http://www.3news.co.nz/Worst-of-Queensland-flooding-still-to-come/tabid/313/articleID/284707/Default.aspx
By Alex O'Hara
Reporter
Thousands of homes have been flooded by torrential rain in eastern Australia, and more rain and high winds are expected in Queensland and New South Wales.
Four people are reported to have been killed, including a three-year-old boy who was hit by a falling tree in Brisbane.
Officials are preparing for another day of evacuations after the Burnett River in Brisbane burst its banks.
Flood waters swept through homes in Ipswich in just half an hour, and residents used containers and canoes to save their belongings.
More than 2000 homes are underwater in the worst-affected city of Bundaberg, but that's not the most immediate concern for residents, who are just desperate to leave the area.
Bundaberg, in Queensland, has been hit the hardest by floods (AAP)
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Many buildings in the region were destroyed in the floods two years ago, now locals are trying to save them from another flood.
The Gold Coast was spared major flooding - but there is plenty of damage as roofing was ripped off and boats driven ashore.
Further up the country in Queensland's Sunshine Coast, sea foam 3m deep covered streets and walk ways, whipped up by huge waves.
There was enough to almost cover a bus, and to completely cover a car.
Queensland premier Campbell Newman is urging residents to prepare for the worst in the coming days, with the Brisbane River set to peak at midday today.
3 News
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Thousands urged to evacuate as Queensland floodwaters rise
http://www.3news.co.nz/Thousands-urged-to-evacuate-as-Queensland-floodwaters-rise/tabid/313/articleID/284687/Default.aspx?ref=vid_2012-11-22
With floodwaters rising in Queensland, 5000 Bundaberg residents are being urged to get out now – or risk their lives.
So far three people have died after being caught in the rushing water, and now a mandatory evacuation warning is in place after the Burnett River broke its banks.
An elderly man was washed out to sea when he went to check on his yacht in southeast Queensland. His body was recovered yesterday.
Today another two bodies were recovered, including that of a motorcyclist who was swept away whilst crossing a bridge.
Australian Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan says Bundaberg is one area which may be hit harder than it was in 2011.
“I’m told by people up there that this is likely to be the worst in the history, in terms of the level of the river – and that is posing some very special challenges up in that region.”
Currently 225,000 Queenslanders are without power, with the Bremer River and the Brisbane River also expected to cause major problems overnight.
Emergency responders are said to be extremely frustrated at needless rescues caused by people driving through floodwaters or going outside to watch rising rivers.
Deputy State Emergency Services Commissioner Steve Pearce says they've received more than 700 calls for help, and in some cases, rescuers are being forced to put their lives on the line because of foolish behaviour.
“The majority of flood rescues are [of] people attempting to drive through flooded roadways or causeways – so it’s people just rolling the dice, which is really concerning obviously,” he says.
Helicopters are scrambling to rescue those stranded on car roofs and houses, while 1200 properties are flooded in the east coast city of Bundaberg, 385km north of the state capital Brisbane. Most parts of the city are expected to be underwater at some stage.
Deputy Mayor David Batt told ABC Radio on Monday that hundreds of people need to be evacuated from their homes.
Queensland State Premier Campbell Newman says emergency crews are trying to rescue 30 people trapped on roofs in city.
In Ipswich, around 40km west of Brisbane, Mayor Paul Pisale is bracing for the worst, saying that after the deadly 2011 floods it's a case of déjà vu.
“I know I’m finding it very hard to deal with the emotional stress this morning, just talking with people,” he says.
“They’ve worked their guts out to get to this situation and now [ex-cyclone] Oswald’s come around and just kicked them in the guts – it’s very, very hard emotionally for me to feel, as you can imagine, what my community’s feeling at the moment.”
While the water peak is not expected to reach the levels seen in the devastating Queensland flood two years ago, 5000 homes are expected to be inundated.
The tail end of ex-cyclone Oswald is due to hit Sydney tonight.
RadioLIVE / AP
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