澳洲昆士兰爆发洪灾

Floods continue to threaten Queensland in eastern Australia, with the town of St George expected to be worst hit.

澳大利亚东部昆士兰省受洪水威胁，圣乔治城是受灾最严重的地区。

Last week, the town of Moree in New South Wales was cut in half by floodwater
Thousands have been evacuated¹ from the area, which is seeing its third major flood in less than two years.

The Balonne River in St George reached 13.48 metres on Monday and was expected to keep rising to a peak of 14-15 metres by late Tuesday.

Despite a mandator（强制的） order to leave, about 400 residents² remained in town, Australian media reported.

''The danger area now is St George,'' Queensland Premier³ Anna Bligh told ABC News.

The evacuation, which she said was the largest ever for a town in the state, was orderly⁴.

About 1,700 people left in their own vehicles, and another 500 were transported by bus and planes.

On Monday morning, a major highway was closed due to flooding and the town of about 3,000 was accessible only by air.

More planes will be sent to take the remaining 400 residents out, said Ms Bligh.

The highway is expected to be under water for five to seven days, she added.

''When people do return to town they are going to find I think a lot of devastation⁵, a lot of heartache,'' she said.