Rising floodwaters force evacuations in eastern Australia
BRISBANE

Fast-moving floodwaters rose on Monday in northeastern Australia after forcing many to flee, blacking out homes, and sweeping away a chunk of a critical bridge.
Storms have already dumped more than a meter of rain in two days in parts of Queensland, engulfing homes, businesses and roads in muddy waters, authorities said.
Aerial footage showed rural communities surrounded by the floodwaters, cut off from nearby roads.
"We are going to see widespread rain and storms spread across much of northern Queensland," the state's premier, David Crisafulli, warned in a news conference.
"We remain prepared for the ongoing prospect of more rain and the likelihood of more flooding, both flash flooding and riverine flooding," he said.
Emergency services carried out 11 "swift water rescues" overnight, the premier said.
Areas of flood-hit Townsville, a popular coastal tourist destination that lies near the Great Barrier Reef, had been declared a "black zone," he said.
"Our advice to residents in the black zone at the moment is to stay out of that zone and stay safe."
The floods swept away a section of a concrete bridge over a creek, cutting off the state's main coastal road, the Bruce Highway, the state premier said.
"It's not every day you see a bridge torn in two. That's what has happened at Ollera Creek, and it is significant," Crisafulli said.