1. AUSTRALIA’S FLOODING MOVES SOUTHEAST TO VICTORIA STATE RECORD RAINFALL ATTRIBUTED TO THE LA NINA PHENOMENON JANUARY 16 -- ?, 2011 Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, University of North Carolina, USA

2. LOCATIONS OF HEAVY RAINFALL: 2011

3. QUEENSLAND BEGINS CLEANUP OPERATIONS ---

4. At the same time that Victoria is responding to new flood threats, residents and businesses in Queensland were beginning a massive cleanup process after 2/3 of the State, including a major city (Brisbane), had been inundated.

5. In Queensland, general insurers will pay out about A$500 million in claims related to the floods, with the remainder covered by major global reinsurers

6. Queensland’s agricultural industry—particularly vegetable and fruit growers, cotton, sugar, grain and livestock farmers— will be hit hard, with total estimated losses of A$1.6 billion.

7. The floods are expected to cost Queensland's mining industry A$2.5 billion in fiscal 2011, and the repair bill for rails and roads could exceed A$1 billion.

8. The tourism industry is expected to lose A$590 million in revenue in fiscal 2011.

9. At present, it is impossible to estimate healthcare costs.

10. --- VICTORIA PREPARES FOR MAJOR FLOODING

11. VICTORIA STATE

12. Australia's flood crisis continued to spread on Sunday (Jan. 16 th ) with parts of Victoria state in the country's southeast suffering record flooding that forced the evacuation of 3,000 residents.

13. The new flooding in Victoria was largely confined to the northwest of the state, affecting some 13,000 properties and causing 3,000 people to seek refuge at evacuation centers.

14. Residents of Victoria were critical of the government for inadequate advance warning of their potential flood crisis.

15. FLOODING: BENDIGO CREEK

17. MCLVOR CREEK: HEATHCOTE

18. TEDDYWADDY NEAR CHARLTON

19. TEDDYWADDY

20. ROADS DAMAGED

21. JANUARY 17: Officials in the city of Horsham were watching the Wimmera River, which was expected to peak Tuesday (Jan 18 th ), after overflowing earlier into the streets and placing 450 homes at risk.