Massive floods in the wake of tropical cyclone Debbie hit two eastern Australia states on Thursday and Friday, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.
ABC news reported the body of one woman was recovered from a flooded property in Burringbar, New South Wales on Friday morning. By daybreak the centre of the town of 25,000 people in the Northern Rivers region of the state of New South Wales (NSW) was underwater.
A photo of the stranded, muddy shark is now going viral on the Facebook page for the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, the first responders for Australia's northeastern-most state. "Let me make it very clear - help is on its way", she said.
A 45-year-old man was also discovered dead at a South Murwillumbah caravan park, although cause of death is yet to be confirmed.
"We are seeing other remarkable changes across the planet that are challenging the limits of our understanding of the climate system", said World Climate Research Programme Director David Carlson in a release on the agency's website.
Resorts along the world-famous Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsunday coast bore the brunt of the storm with wind gusts stronger than 260 kph (160 mph).
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Three of rail operator Aurizon's four railway lines in the region were closed and BHP was assessing the extent of disruption to shipments.
Emergency services crews have worked tirelessly in an effort to save residents from the rolling water tides, with 130 life-saving rescues occurring overnight, and helicopter crews are set to work all day today to assist people still trapped in the floodwaters.
The Murwillumbah residents join a further 40,000 in northern NSW who the SES told "you must leave NOW", including 6000 in Lismore affected by major flooding along the Wilsons River.
(Reporting by Tom Westbrook and Colin Packham; Editing by Sandra Maler and Michael Perry) Queensland's top insurers, Suncorp Group Ltd (SUN.AX) and RACQ, said it was too early to put a dollar figure on the damage.
Australians shared images of bugs escaping the floodwaters.
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