Alert over snakes and crocodiles as floods' peak nears

Large parts of the coastal city of Rockhampton remained under water yesterday, with levels still rising and the 75,000-strong population bracing for the floods' expected peak in the next 24 hours as a huge inland sea spawned by heavy rain across Queensland state drains toward the ocean.

Up to 500 people have been moved from their homes along the Fitzroy River, which runs through the city and has spilled over its banks and inundated houses and businesses in waters ranging from a few inches to waist-deep, with levels expected to rise another few feet.

Queensland state premier Anna Bligh said all air, rail and road links to the city had been cut – although local officials said later one highway heading north was still open.

The severe flooding could have a "significant long-term effect" on the global steel industry, she warned. Three-quarters of the north-eastern state's coal fields are unable to operate owing to the flooding. Queensland exports half the world's coking coal, which is required to make steel.

The flooding has also damaged wheat crops in Queensland, which accounts for five per cent of Australia's wheat exports and is the world's fourth-largest wheat exporter. Analysts have warned this could trigger a rise in global wheat prices.

Ms Bligh added that until the waters recede "it's going to be hard to really fully assess the long-term economic and social impact".

Rockhampton is the latest of 22 cities and towns in Queensland to be swamped by floods that began building just before Christmas – the worst effects of an unusually wet summer in the tropical region.

Officials have said the flooded area covers the size of France and Germany combined and 200,000 people have been affected. Swollen rivers and flooding have killed 10 people in Queensland since late November, police say.

Authorities are warning residents to stay out of floodwaters for their own safety, saying the biggest risk is from fast-moving currents powerful enough to sweep cars from roadways.

At least two people have drowned after being swept away in their cars.

Rockhampton mayor Brad Carter has also said residents have reported more sightings than usual of snakes as the animals look for dry ground. He has also noted that saltwater crocodiles have been spotted in the Fitzroy River.

"We do not think they are a risk to public safety if people keep out of the waters, but if people do enter the waters their safety cannot be guaranteed," Mr Carter told reporters. .

Animal welfare worker Wendy Hilcher said fears about snakes and crocodiles were hampering her group's efforts to rescue pets left behind by people who had left their homes in flooded areas of the city.

"It's not just the safety aspect of getting to these places, it's what's in the water itself," Ms Hilcher, from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said.

"If it gets too dangerous, we have to get out of there."

A military cargo plane landed in a city north of Rockhampton on Monday, carrying food, water, medical supplies and other items such as diapers to keep the city stocked with necessities. The goods were being trucked south to the city, or carried on barges.

Charles and Camilla send support

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall sent a message of support to Julia Gillard, the prime minister of Australia, yesterday as the country copes with severe floods that have affected 200,000 people.

The Prince wrote: "The scale of the disaster all but defies belief and, on behalf of us both, I just wanted you to know how much our hearts go out to the hundreds of thousands of people whose lives and property have been affected.

"I also wanted to say how enormously impressed we have been by... the outstanding combined work of the military, emergency services, Federal and State authorities in ensuring that people are evacuated to places of safety."