‘Once in a century’ floods hit northeast Australia as thousands flee their homes

"Once in a century" floods have hit parts of Australia resulting in thousands of people fleeing their homes.

Residents in the northeast of the country are experiencing torrential downpours that have seen roads turn into rivers as the regular monsoon season hits harder than expected. News.com/au reports that people living in north Queensland were visited by officials over the weekend and told to prepare for the flood. Those living in low lying houses in Townsville - the centre of the downpour - were advised to move somewhere safer before the end of the day. Acting chief superintendent Steve Munro said that 300 homes were already affected before Saturday night. This number is expected to rise exponentially. “We are expecting that to rise to about 400 to 500 homes overnight out of a population of 80,000,” he said. “If the rain continues overnight and into tomorrow, if we keep going the way we are today, we are talking about 10,000 to 20,000 homes.” Over the past week, north Queensland has experience more than their annual expected rainfall. The area's River Ross Dam was at over 200 percent capacity by 5pm yesterday. Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill called the floods a "one in 10-year event." The weather is what caused officials to have to release the water from the dam to avoid the nearby river from bursting its banks. Locals are being advised to move to higher ground as the flood continues.