Australia Floods May Push Queensland’s Coal Industry Back by Many Years

Added by Annika L. Krugel on January 6, 2011

The worst floods in Queensland in the past fifty years is estimated to have caused $5 billion worth of damage as more than 200,000 people are spread out over an area that is as big as France and Germany combined.

Although the exact amount of damage is not known, there is no doubt that bridges, roads and rail links have been badly hit by the flood.

The floods have hit the coal industry really hard as the State contributes close to 35% of the total coal exported by Australia.

Although Dalrymple, the biggest port exporting coal in the country is still operating, it is being fed by coal stockpiles instead of coal extracted from the mines.

The other port, Gladstone, has been shut even as the state is struggling with the damage caused by just the beginning of the monsoon season.

The cleanups will take many months and there are fears that the coal industry may not only hit the Australian economy but also the global economy very hard. In the meanwhile, people continue to suffer because of the floods.

From flooding of the house to entry of dangerous waters snakes – people are facing many problems even as administration is stretched to its fullest extent in its attempts to bring the problem under control.