Tuesday 4 January 2011

Floods in Australia

The state of Queensland in Australia has been hit with massive flooding.

Officials say half of Queensland's 1 852 642km² is affected by the relentless flooding, which began after days of pounding rain caused swollen rivers to overflow. The flood zone covers an area larger than France and Germany combined and bigger than the state of Texas.

The floods have affected about 200,000 people and an estimated 22 towns have been left isolated or inundated by the rising waters, with fears that the damage could cost billions of Australian dollars to repair. So far 10 people have died.


The governments of New Zealand and the USA have offered aid. The silence from the British government is deafening.

When there was flooding in Pakistan there were endless appeals for money. £144 million was provided by the British government alone; more by UK based aid agencies. Where are the appeals to help people, who are mainly of British descent, in Australia?

The entire population of two towns has already been forced to evacuate as water swamped their communities, cutting off roads and devastating crops.

People are facing food shortages and serious public health risks as a result of the floods.
The muddy water inundating thousands of homes and businesses has led to a shortage of drinking water and raised fears of mosquito-borne disease.

If you wish to help click here.