Thousands flee Philippine floods

31 December 2010 Last updated at 06:20 GMT Thousands of people are on the move across Albay province, on the eastern coast of the Philippines Heavy rains and flooding in the Philippines have killed two people and displaced many thousands more.

The eastern province of Albay has been designated a state of calamity as thousands of people have moved to evacuation centres.

Landslides and floods have blocked roads and destroyed power lines.

The Philippines often takes the brunt of Pacific weather systems and poor infrastructure worsens its impact on the densely populated countryside.

An 80-year old woman, Lolita Dapdap, and her 50-year old son, Antonio, died after they tried to cross a flooded area in Manito township, east of Legazpi City in Albay province, on Wednesday.

"We evacuated them early in the morning but apparently the old woman and her son returned home to get some personal belongings.

"Before twilight, they were returning to the evacuation centre and got stuck on the spillway," said Albay province Governor Joey Salceda.

Villagers on the slopes of the live volcano, Mount Mayon, have also been moved because of flooding.

More rain

Mr Salceda said that heavy rain continued to fall on Albay and other parts of Bicol region for the sixth straight day.

This increased the danger of landslides and floods and forced more people to be moved out of their homes, he said.

The risk of flash floods was high, and rescue officials were racing to get people out of the way in time.

Evacuations began on 24 December but have accelerated as flood waters have risen.

Almost a week of heavy rains have flooded towns in the east of the Philippines

The governor said new year parties were being organised for the evacuees to try to keep them in the evacuation centres.

The problem was that people often wanted to go home to protect their belongings, he said.

The Associated Press said the number of people displaced had reached 33,000.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said more rain was expected due to the prevailing northeast monsoon.

Domestic flights between the Philippine capital, Manila, and Legazpi City, have been affected.

Australians leave flood-hit homes

31 December 2010 Last updated at 11:31 GMT There are major concerns for the town of Emerald, now largely cut off by water Thousands more people are preparing to evacuate their homes as one of Australia's worst floods continues to inundate the state of Queensland.

Forced evacuations are being planned in Rockhampton as rising floodwaters threaten the town of 77,000.

Australian PM Julia Gillard has visited flooded Bundaberg, and flew over Emerald as evacuations there continued.

The floods have affected about 200,000 people over an area larger than France and Germany, Queensland's premier says.

An estimated 22 towns have been left isolated or inundated by the rising waters, with fears that damage could cost billions of Australian dollars to repair.

The situation in Emerald - a town of some 11,000 people - was particularly bad, Premier Anna Bligh told reporters.

There was also major concern for Rockhampton, where residents are said to be attempting to stockpile bread and fresh fruit and vegetables.

"We've seen lots of panic buying of food. Shelves in shopping centres are empty," Rockhampton resident Petros Khalesirad told the BBC.

"But I think people have been over-reacting. We have groceries arriving today and in the worst case scenario, the military will be involved in helping."

Continue reading the main story North-eastern Australian stateLargely tropical climateArea: 1.73 million sq km (668,000 sq mile)Coastal regions, including Great Barrier Reef, designated World Heritage SiteMining and cattle ranching important inlandOfficials in Rockhampton - where the floods peak could be up to 48 hours away - said a shift was under way from voluntary evacuations to compulsory relocation.

"Police will order people in affected areas to leave their homes," Mayor Brad Carter said.

Elderly people and other at-risk groups would be the first moved out of their properties, officials said.

Speaking as she toured affected areas with the prime minister, Ms Bligh described the flooding as "a long way from over".

"Authorities think there will be a very large group of people who will be homeless in the next 24 hours.

"We now have three major river systems in flood; we have 17 evacuation centres active; we have more than 1,000 people in those evacuation centres and many more thousands staying with relatives and friends."

Helicopter evacuations

Officials said the situation in Emerald remained uncertain and could yet get worse if floodwaters continue to rise.

The Nogoa River was due to peak on Friday afternoon, and 1,200 residents had already registered as evacuees before the waters hit their peak.

Helicopters including army Black Hawks have been ferrying residents to safer locations.

More than half of Queensland is now a disaster zone

Julia Gillard and Anna Bligh were due to visit Emerald on Friday but were unable to land, instead flying over the area to get an aerial view of the devastation.

Ms Gillard's first stop on land was in Bundaberg, which has seen its worst flooding for four decades and has been split in two by the swollen Burnett River. Waters there are now receding.

She spoke to evacuees and volunteers, and was briefed on the rescue and recovery effort.

"As devastating as these floods are, we are seeing a magnificent response by all levels of government and by emergency personnel," Ms Gillard said.

Two smaller towns, Theodore and Condamine, have been completely evacuated. In Condamine some residents had been refusing to leave their houses.

Recovery work following the floods is expected to cost billions of dollars, with officials warning of severe damage to homes, crops and livestock.

Sewerage systems have also been affected, raising public health concerns.

Petros Khalesirad told the BBC that Rockhampton was well-prepared but the effect on Queensland as a whole would be significant.

"These floods are going to affect the state, the whole nation. It's going to have a huge impact on mining commodities - several coal mines are under water and some won't be operational for months."