Australian authorities on Tuesday told more than 2,000 residents who had left a town at the mercy of record-breaking flood waters to stay away until the danger had passed. The swollen Balonne River, which cuts through the heart of the town of St. George in the eastern state of Queensland, reached 13.85 meters (45.4 feet) Tuesday morning and was expected to peak around 14 meters later in the day, said Steve Gollschewski, assistant commissioner of the Queensland Police. Even at their forecast peak level, the flood waters should not threaten the levee bank protecting the town, which stands at 14.5 meters, Gollschewski said.
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Flood waters in St. George are expected to peak around 45 feet
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That is below the level of the levee bank protecting the town
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Authorities tell residents that they should not return to their homes yet
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A thunderstorm warning threatens to hamper the cleanup effort in other Queensland towns
Dozens of homes in southeastern @placeholder have been inundated by the floods and hundreds of people have taken shelter in evacuation centers.