In the time of floods, Aussies and snakes race to the roof

Thousands of Australians were cut off by floodwaters on Saturday as heavy rain broke river banks across the vast eastern outback and some families battled with deadly snakes for rooftops, rescuers said.

More than 11,000 people in Queensland state alone have been isolated a year after flash floods across Queensland and New South Wales killed around 35 people, swamped 30,000 houses and wiped out crops, roads, bridges and railway lines. Rescue workers said river levels in some areas were again hitting levels not seen for half a century, taking a heavy toll on cotton, sugarcane, soybean and corn crops. Flood warnings were current for dozens of rivers in New South Wales and Queensland, with some reaching flood levels of above 13 metres, weather forecasters said.

Rooftop rescues and air drops by helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft have been under way, with residents sometimes fighting for space with snakes also trying get to higher ground. “The worst affected areas are around Moree, where we have around 10,000 people who are isolated,” Phil Campbell, a spokesman for the State Emergency Service said.