Link: Planet Ark : Fourth Storm Batters Australia, Major Flooding .
...Bushfires that ravaged Victoria in late 2006 had exacerbated the flooding, said emergency officials. More than 1,000 bushfires burnt almost 1.2 million hectares (3 million acres) of the state. "What has changed is that instead of ... a gentler release of water from the forest areas or the catchment areas, it runs immediately to creeks and then runs immediately down the systems and it hasn't been retained in the vegetation," said SES spokesman John O'Brien. "It's a drought-breaker, but it will bring a lot of problems to us in the next few days," O'Brien said. Firemen pumped water out of some overflowing dams in Victoria, fearing dams would break under the pressure. One river had risen 8 metres in 24 hours, local media said.
LARGE AREAS STILL IN DROUGHT
Heavy rains in NSW and Victoria have eased drought conditions in many areas, with dry dams now overflowing, but broad swathes of Australia remain gripped by the worst drought in 100 years. "We must recognise that there are still many parts of the country that are still suffering from drought that haven't received enough rain yet," Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile told reporters. But recent heavy rains have topped up dwindling water supplies for several cities. Sydney's main reservoir, Warragamba Dam, is more than 50 percent full, and the nearby city of Goulburn can stop trucking in water with its dam now full. The severe storms have also sent temperatures plummeting across the southeast after the warmest May on record....
