Escape from 'biblical floods': Last plane takes off from flooded runway as 22 Australian towns are totally cut offBy Daily Mail Reporter
Third person dies in floodwaters after car was washed off causeway in Aramac
Water levels hit 30ft in some areas as towns are cut off
Police step up patrols in affected towns to prevent looting
Rivers expected to peak tomorrow night, but it could be a month before waters completely recede
This is the last plane taking off from a beleaguered Australian city before rising floodwaters completely cut it off.
Rockhampton has been left completely isolated after water levels rose to 30ft in some places in the worst flooding for a decade.
More than 200,000 people have been displaced and three people have died in Queensland as rising water levels engulf entire towns.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343624/Australia-flood-Military-flights-rush-emergency-supplies-22-towns-cut-off.htmlMilitary flights have been rushing in emergency supplies to badly affected areas, but floodwaters are not expected to peak until at least tomorrow night.
Rescue: An emergency services worker wades through the Capricorn Highway. Three people have so far been killed in the disaster
The latest victim was a man who drowned earlier today when the car he was travelling in was washed off a flooded causeway in the town of Aramac, central Queensland.
Police said they had also recovered the body of a man who was last seen on Saturday as his boat was swamped by raging river waters in a different part of the state.
And in a separate incident, a 41-year-old woman was swept to her death in front of her family as her car crossed another submerged causeway.
Torrential rains that has fallen since before Christmas has produced floodwaters that now cover an area the size of France and Germany combined in northeastern Queensland.
At least 22 towns and cities have been deluged in the region.
Police in the state said ten other people have drowned in separate incidents involving swollen rivers and water accidents since heavy rains began in late November.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has extended emergency relief to those affected, including low-interest loans to farmers to begin cleaning up and get their businesses running again.
'This is a major natural disaster, and recovery will take a significant amount of time,' she said.
'The extent of flooding being experienced by Queensland is unprecedented and requires a national and united response.'
Floodwaters from the Fitzroy River shut the airport at Rockhampton and cut the main road - the Capricorn Highway - to state capital Brisbane.
Hundreds of people have been forced to abandon their homes for relief centres set up on higher ground as waters reached 30ft above normal levels.
Evacuation: Families are rescued in by emergency services personnel as the town of Rockhampton was all but cut off
Torrent: Water covers the Capricorn Highway - the main route between Brisbane and Rockhampton
Mayor Brad Carter said 40 per cent of the city could be affected by the surging water and residents could be forced to wait at least two weeks before being able to return home.
Authorities have warned that many rivers are expected to continue rising until late Tuesday.
Supermarkets have been running out of items as residents stock up on food and bottle water.
Acting Defence Minister Warren Snowdon said a C-130 military cargo plane would fly to a town north of Rockhampton carrying food, medical supplies and other items that would then be transported to the city.
Police have increased patrols in flooded towns in a bid to tackle looting.
Relief: Military aircraft are dropping supplies into affected areas as waters are expected to peak tomorrow
Impact: Industry and farming has been badly affected by the floods
Unprecedented: The flooding has hit virtually the whole of Queensland as waters move towards the coast
Rains have now eased, with water levels dropping in some towns, but officials said around 1,000 people were living in evacuation centres and it could be a month before the floodwaters dry up completely.
The floods have caused an estimate $980million (£630million) in damages and badly hit exporting industries including coal mining.
They were caused by cooling 'La Nina' ocean currents that produced monsoon rains over the western Pacific and southeast Asia after months of downpours.