Sydney: Heavy rain and flooding that's swept across the Australian state of Queensland may cost billions of dollars after crops were destroyed and output from coal mines was disrupted, Premier Anna Bligh said.
"It's without precedent in our recorded history, with so many places in so many diverse parts of the state each affected so critically at once," Bligh said yesterday, according to an e- mailed transcript. "I expect that we'll still be managing some of this until the end of January. This is a disaster that is going to run into the billions of dollars."
Australia had its wettest September-to-November period on record, with showers and storms forecast to continue across Queensland until at least January 5, the Bureau of Meteorology said on its website. Flooding has destroyed cotton crops, halted coal deliveries, shut mines and prompted BHP Billiton Ltd, Xstrata Plc and Rio Tinto Group to declare force majeure, allowing them to miss contracted deliveries.
Three Blackhawk helicopters from the Australian defence force are assisting with recovery efforts, Emergency Management Queensland Assistant Director-General Bruce Grady said on Sky News yesterday.
Two of the aircraft are heading for the town of Emerald to help with the potential evacuation of as many as 2,500 people as flood waters are expected to peak at a record 16.2 metres tomorrow. The previous record of 15.7 metres was set in 1950, Grady said.
More than 300 residents from the town of Theodore were evacuated yesterday, he said.
"The floods in Queensland are particularly devastating, some communities are seeing floodwaters higher than they've seen in decades," Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Wednesday in Adelaide, according to an e-mailed transcript. "For some communities, floodwaters have never reached these levels."
Production halts
BHP and Anglo American Plc yesterday declared force majeure for mines in Queensland's Bowen Basin, according to e-mailed statements. Wesfarmers Ltd has also suspended mining at its Curragh North operation.
Cockatoo Coal Ltd halted production at its Baralaba mine in the Bowen Basin after water breached the pit wall, the Sydney-based company said in a statement. The flooding is equivalent to the 1-in-100 year flood design levels of the mine, Cockatoo said.
Network shut
Flooding has shut the Blackwater rail network that transports coal from mines for export from the Port of Gladstone, about 450 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane, QR National Ltd spokesman Mark Hairsine said by telephone today.
Xstrata yesterday said operations at its Oaky Creek underground mine in the Bowen Basin have been affected by the disruption to the Blackwater network. The world's largest exporter of thermal coal is assessing the level of delays to shipments, Sydney-based spokesman James Rickards said.
Coal mines
Global miner Anglo American has declared force majeure on its coal mines in Australia's Queensland state due to prolonged heavy rains, joining a long list of coal firms hit by weather-related problems.
"Adverse impacts due to flooding vary across our operations and include disruption to road access, production and rail transportation," the company said yesterday.
"The full impact is not clear as rain continues to fall, with further rain forecast for the region."
