Australian floods strand thousands

Heavy rains are continuing in Australia, as military helicopters evacuated stranded residents from flooded towns. More than 11,000 people in Queensland state have been isolated by the flooding and thousands had been evacuated. The flooding over the past week has affected crops, including sugarcane, soybeans and corn. The state's south has been declared a natural disaster. Many residents have been relocating to evacuation centres.

Across the border, in the northern section of New South Wales, evacuation centres are also being filled by residents of flooded towns.

Flash floods across Australia's Queensland and New South Wales states last year killed around 35 people.

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