Thousands evacuate worst Australian floods in over a decade

By ROD McGUIRK and JOHN PYE
Associated Press

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Tens of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes and many more have been told to prepare to flee as parts of Australia’s southeast coast are inundated by the worst flooding in more than a decade. The flooding has claimed at least 10 lives. Scores of residents spent hours trapped on their roofs in recent days by a fast-rising river in the town of Lismore in northern New South Wales state. The New South Wales government said 40,000 people have been ordered to evacuate. In Brisbane, meteorologist Rick Threlfall measured more than 37 inches of rain in three days. He says that’s close to 80% of annual rainfall average in the Queensland capital.