Floods caused by record rainfall in the wake of a tropical cyclone forced hundreds of people to evacuate in Australia's northeast on Monday, with floodwaters cutting off several tourist towns along the Great Barrier Reef.
More than 300 people were rescued from floodwaters in the Far North Queensland region of Queensland state overnight, officials said in a televised press conference, with emergency services rescuing dozens of stranded residents off rooftops.
Some towns remained inaccessible due to the severe weather, and further evacuations were planned for Tuesday, the officials from the state government said.
No deaths or serious injuries have been reported, the officials said, but there has been significant damage to homes and power, with around 13,000 households without power as of Monday evening.
"We see a lot of natural disasters and this is just about the worst I can remember," Queensland Premier Steven Miles told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Monday.
Miles warned locals to take extra care around floodwaters, after local media reported Monday that a 2.8-meter long saltwater crocodile was pulled from a flooded storm drain in the center of Ingham, a rural town around 200 kilometers south of Cairns.
Crocodiles inhabit waterways throughout Far North Queensland, but can turn up in unexpected places during floods as they move around in search of calmer waters, according to the environment and science department of the state government.
Cairns, the gateway town to the Great Barrier Reef with a population of some 160,000 saw all flights cancelled or postponed on Monday, with social media images showing planes partially submerged on the tarmac at Cairns airport.
A tropical cyclone crossed the Queensland coast on Wednesday, causing widespread heavy rainfall and strong winds. It was downgraded to a tropical low-pressure system on Thursday but the rain has continued, leading to widespread flash-flooding.
