BRISBANE, Australia — Parts of Australia’s third-largest city reopened today as deadly floodwaters that had swamped entire neighborhoods receded, leaving a thick layer of putrid sludge. Garbage trucks moved through Brisbane’s muddy streets, and some residents dragged ruined furniture out of their homes as the massive cleanup began in the wake of one of Australia’s worst natural disasters. In towns upstream from Brisbane, soldiers picked their way through debris looking for more victims.
Weeks of flooding have caused 25 deaths, and 55 people were still missing.
“There is a lot of heartache and grief as people start to see for the first time what has happened to their homes and their streets,” Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh said. “In some cases, we have street after street after street where every home has been inundated to the roof level.”
The Associated Press
