Flood-hit Australians vow to catch looter "scum"
By Rob Taylor
CANBERRA, Jan 25 (Reuters) - A wave of looting in flood-stricken outback towns in Australia on Friday outraged authorities and political leaders, who vowed to track down the "scum" responsible.
Looters broke into around 20 homes in the central Queensland town of Emerald. Floodwaters have inundated much of the sprawling state and forced residents into evacuation centres.
"It revolts me, just absolutely revolts me, that people could do this sort of thing," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told national television. "I'm confident that the Queensland police will crack down on this like a tonne of bricks, and so they should."
The mining town of Emerald has been hardest hit by flooding caused by heavy summer rains said to be a one-in-100-year event.
Almost 1,000 homes were evacuated five days ago as waters up to 14 metres (46 feet) above normal surged down the Nogoa River.
Large parts of Australia's east coast have been hit by heavy rain blamed on the La Nina weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, although much of the country remains in the grip of the worst drought for a century.
Looters struck in Emerald while homes lay vacant, removing personal belongings and electronic gear stacked onto high shelves out of reach of floodwater.
Mayor Peter Maguire said he was disgusted that the looters had struck just a day before the Australia Day national holiday, when the nation supposedly joined in celebration.
"People that do that sort of stuff are the lowest form of scum," Maguire said. "We'll tip them into the river. It's running fast enough to get rid of them." Police stepped up patrols of the town's flood-stricken south, where 260 houses and flatswere still empty as waters subsided.
Local farmers estimate they have lost A$80 million ($70 million) in stock and property, while the Queensland government has put the state's flood damage bill at close to A$1 billion.
"This is cattle territory, big cattle properties, big stock losses. It's also mining country, so some of the big mines have lost some very big pieces of equipment and we've got water sitting in pits," state Premier Anna Bligh said.
"Many of them I think will struggle to meet their export targets, so the economic impact will be something that rolls out over possibly six to 12 months," Bligh said.
Police said a 25-year-old man would appear in court over the looting of a motorcycle shop.
"You can only describe them as despicable acts," Emergency Queensland Management deputy director Bruce Grady said.
The head of water management for the sprawling Murray-Darling River basin, where much of Australia's food is produced, said the flooding in the north was good news to drought-stricken farmers further south, although it was not enough to end the dry.
"It'll enable broadacre farmers to get water supplies for their next crop, so in that sense it'll set them up well," Wendy Craik from the Murray-Darling Basin Commission said. ($1=A$1.13) (Editing by Alex Richardson)
CANBERRA, Jan 25 (Reuters) - A wave of looting in flood-stricken outback towns in Australia on Friday outraged authorities and political leaders, who vowed to track down the "scum" responsible.
Looters broke into around 20 homes in the central Queensland town of Emerald. Floodwaters have inundated much of the sprawling state and forced residents into evacuation centres.
"It revolts me, just absolutely revolts me, that people could do this sort of thing," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told national television. "I'm confident that the Queensland police will crack down on this like a tonne of bricks, and so they should."
The mining town of Emerald has been hardest hit by flooding caused by heavy summer rains said to be a one-in-100-year event.
Almost 1,000 homes were evacuated five days ago as waters up to 14 metres (46 feet) above normal surged down the Nogoa River.
Large parts of Australia's east coast have been hit by heavy rain blamed on the La Nina weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, although much of the country remains in the grip of the worst drought for a century.
Looters struck in Emerald while homes lay vacant, removing personal belongings and electronic gear stacked onto high shelves out of reach of floodwater.
Mayor Peter Maguire said he was disgusted that the looters had struck just a day before the Australia Day national holiday, when the nation supposedly joined in celebration.
"People that do that sort of stuff are the lowest form of scum," Maguire said. "We'll tip them into the river. It's running fast enough to get rid of them." Police stepped up patrols of the town's flood-stricken south, where 260 houses and flatswere still empty as waters subsided.
Local farmers estimate they have lost A$80 million ($70 million) in stock and property, while the Queensland government has put the state's flood damage bill at close to A$1 billion.
"This is cattle territory, big cattle properties, big stock losses. It's also mining country, so some of the big mines have lost some very big pieces of equipment and we've got water sitting in pits," state Premier Anna Bligh said.
"Many of them I think will struggle to meet their export targets, so the economic impact will be something that rolls out over possibly six to 12 months," Bligh said.
Police said a 25-year-old man would appear in court over the looting of a motorcycle shop.
"You can only describe them as despicable acts," Emergency Queensland Management deputy director Bruce Grady said.
The head of water management for the sprawling Murray-Darling River basin, where much of Australia's food is produced, said the flooding in the north was good news to drought-stricken farmers further south, although it was not enough to end the dry.
"It'll enable broadacre farmers to get water supplies for their next crop, so in that sense it'll set them up well," Wendy Craik from the Murray-Darling Basin Commission said. ($1=A$1.13) (Editing by Alex Richardson)
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