SYDNEY, Jan 8, 2008 (AFP) - Hundreds of people remained trapped by floods in eastern Australia on Tuesday as relief officials said the waters had begun to recede, leaving a bill that could run to tens of millions of dollars.
Among those still to be rescued were around 1,000 fans at an electronic music festival isolated by flooding at Boonoo Boonoo Island near Tenterfield on the border of New South Wales and Queensland states. But waters around one of the worst hit towns, Coraki, in northern New South Wales had subsided enough to allow access for the first time in days, relief workers said. Five districts were declared disaster zones by the state governments after torrential rains fed the floods late last week. Estimates of the financial losses to the region have been put at up to 100 million dollars (87.7 million US), when lost tourism income during the southern summer is factored in, The Australian newspaper said.
The Insurance Council of Australia said the estimated damage bill would be clearer by the end of the week. "Until everyone has returned to their homes and made their claims we can't put a figure on the flood damage," a spokesman said. "If anything, people in this area are quite prepared as they have experienced many floods and storms before." Relief officials said around 3,000 people were trapped when the floods were at their height, but some had been rescued and supplies had been airdropped to those in need. "Floodwaters are receding, it is quite good news for the region," said Dave Webber, spokesman for the State Emergency Services. "There are only now several hundred homes isolated and we expect this to again drop over the next days." Fans at the Freakreation electronic music festival, who reportedly took advantage of their enforced isolation to prolong their rave, were expected to be able to leave by around midday on Wednesday.
cmc/lb/mtp