SYDNEY – Before floodwaters engulfed Geoff Davies’ home in the Australian outback, the 67-year-old was driven to higher ground and placed a freezer on a table to prevent him from being submerged.
But the severity of the floods, which spread as far as 30 miles, took Mr Davis by surprise. Freezers floated. Vehicles drowned in water. Mr Davies, who lives near the Western Australian town of Fitzroy Crossing, decided to stay at home but his family were picked up in a boat by a nephew and fled.