Aussie caravan park faces flood risk

A caravan park in Australia is facing the prospect of an emergency evacuation after heavy rainfall caused a nearby river to break its banks.

The Macintyre River has swelled after more than 100mm of rain fell in its catchment area in just four hours.

Inverell Caravan Park is thought to be at risk as water levels are continuing to rise.

Local flood intelligence officer David Jones told the Inverell Times that the events showed how quickly conditions could change.

"I think today's events are a gentle reminder to us all that we have a very wet catchment, which can be seen by how little rain was needed to make the river flood, we at the SES are urging people to take caution around the rivers with more storms forecast over summer," he said.

In Britain recently, caravans have come to the rescue of people forced from their homes because of flooding.

The summer saw some of the worst floods in living memory, damaging tens of thousands of homes and businesses and racking up £3 billion in insurance claims.

Recent reports suggested that thousands of people will be in temporary accommodation over Christmas as they are still unable to return to their properties.

12/12/2007 09:43:13