Disaster in Australia; No Water in Ireland
ANDERSON: The Australian economy is about to be hit with a flood damage bill of billions of dollars. Thirteen townships have been evacuated in Queensland. Eight areas of the state now declared disaster situations. Donna Field from the Australian Broadcasting Corporations takes us over the worst hit areas, which forecasters say could remain that way for weeks.</s>DONNA FIELD, ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Burnett River swallowed everything in its path as it peaked at nearly eight meters. Houses in Bundaburg's low lying areas weren't just inundated, they almost disappeared. In all, 100 homes have been swamped. Three hundred more are at risk.</s>TONY RICCIARDI, BUNDABURG, AUSTRALIA DEPUTY MAYOR: I would be guessing at this stage, but we're looking at tens of millions of dollars here. I would say, we could be looking at a large -- a very large bill.</s>FIELD: Parts of the Sugar City's CBD (ph) were also awash. It's the worst floods they've seen and they had time to prepare, but it was never going to be enough to stop the torrent.</s>RICCIARDI: The damage is, at this stage, it's very hard to tell.</s>FIELD: With eight shires (ph) now declared disaster zones, the premier took stock at the state's emergency command center.</s>ANNA BLIGH, QUEENSLAND PREMIER: We've still got a number of communities that are facing the prospect of increased flooding over the next couple of days. So this disaster that's unfolding on an unprecedented scale is far from over.</s>FIELD: The Central Queensland town, Emerald, is cut off by road and authorities are concerned it may be isolated from the air, as the flood peak passes previous records.</s>BRUCE GRADY, QUEENSLAND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: On this occasion, we'll cut off both the road and the rail access to Emerald. For the last event, we were able to continue to supply Emerald by rail over the rail bridge. But that will be lost.</s>FIELD: Several towns and vast areas of farming land are affected by the ongoing crisis. But with centuries like Bundaburg and Rockhampton now in the front line of the emergency, the damage is likely to be worse than expected. Rockhampton's flood peak will probably happen early next week.</s>BRAD CARTER, ROCKHAMPTON, AUSTRALIA MAYOR: So there's a significant body of water coming down. It is a very serious situation that we are currently in.</s>FIELD: Theodore Whist (ph) of Bundaburg knows how bad it can get. It remains a ghost town and residents have been told it may be weeks before they can return.</s>GREG GOEBEL, RED CROSS: So the main problem, really, is to make sure that those people who have had to leave their house because of inundation, that they've got a -- a good place to live at nighttime, they're well looked after and provide the care and comfort that is so needed.</s>FIELD: On the Darling Downs, the water has started to recede, revealing mud and extensive damage to infrastructure like water and sewage plants.</s>BLIGH: People are who taking, who are moving out of their homes, will be out for some time. It will take a long time for the recovery and the rebuilding and there will be significant public health issues to manage in the meantime.</s>FIELD: Authorities say it's too early to put a cost on this disaster. Damage to stock, property, agriculture and infrastructure is predicted to run into the billions. The state government's contribution of $1 million to a disaster relief fund has been matched by the Commonwealth and people are being urged to dig deep. Donna Field, ABC News.</s>ANDERSON: What a mess. Well, sugar, wheat and coal contribute billions to the Australian economy. And much of it comes from Queensland. The state government says it produces 95 percent of the country's raw sugar and approximately one million tons of wheat, which is the major winter crop, of course. But mining is the major contributor to the Queensland economy and the economy at large. Australia is the world's largest coal explorer, with around 28 percent of the world's total. Now, that flooding has sent coal prices to a two year high, affecting a growing number of mining companies in Queensland's coal zone, known as the Bowen Basin. Well, some of the larger operators have declared so- called force majeure, act of God, that limits their legal liability if they miscontracted deliveries of coal. Now, this is important as the status of more than 30 billion tons of black coal reserves. So major exports could be affected. Australia supplies markets in more than 30 countries around the world. Well, from those devastating floods in Australia, we head to another water disaster in Northern Ireland. "Shambolic" is how Prime Minister Peter Robinson describes the response to this situation. Tens of thousands have been left without running water after frozen pipes burst during the recent thaw. Robinson's comments came following an emergency meeting of power sharing ministers, who are now looking to hold someone accountable for the ongoing crisis. Carol Jordon has the story.</s>CAROL JORDAN, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): This has become a familiar scene in many towns in Northern Ireland this week -- cues of people lining up at temporary water pumps so they can collect a container of water for the everyday basic tasks of washing, cooking and drinking. There have been water distribution problems in the region for over a week now, after cold weather caused pipes to burst resulting in over 40,000 properties left without water. Today, more than 30,000 properties are still without running water. Hospitals are also affected. Northern Ireland Water, the organization responsible for ensuring the water supply, has been criticized for not being able to handle the crisis effectively.</s>LAURENCE MCKENZIE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, NORTHERN IRELAND WATER: Of course I take responsibility. Of course I take responsibility, because my prime concern at the minute is to get through the situation and get the results. That's what I'm focusing on.</s>JORDAN: Families and businesses alike are making do, though millions of dollars are expected to be lost. Adrian Marley runs the Patrisse Restaurant in Banbridge, County Down. This week should be on of his busiest of the year, but no water means no business.</s>ADRIAN MARLEY, PATRISSE RESTAURANT: Our water went off on Christmas Day and we're out of water now for almost a week. And the implications are we've -- this is the busiest time of the year, between Christmas and new year, for shoppers. And we've had to close our doors. So we've had no trailers at all this week.</s>JORDAN: Warnings have now been issued that some customers may be without running water for days yet to come -- signaling a bleak start to 2011 in Northern Ireland and an even more miserable beginning for local businesses. Carol Jordan, CNN, London.</s>ANDERSON: Connecting with the world here on CNN. We'll be right back after the break with more of what has been a week long special on this show on Zimbabwe. This time tonight, we're tracking a team of doctors who are on a mission to bring a little hope to those who need it most these days.