SYDNEY (AFP) - Looters raided abandoned
houses, businesses and cars during four days of violent storms in
Australia, stealing everything from iPods to alcohol and
cigarettes, outraged victims said Tuesday.
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As a massive clear-up operation got into full gear after storms and
floods that claimed nine lives, residents and traders said thieves
had exploited the weekend's chaos to break in and steal.
About 5,000 residents in the Hunter and Central Coast areas north
of Sydney have now returned home following the storms, which caused
damage estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars.
Power utility EnergyAustralia said almost 30,000 homes were still
blacked out and some may not be reconnected until the end of the
week as technicians struggle to repair the worst damage to its
network in 30 years.
Paul Murphy, a businessman in Newcastle, said the devastation of up
to one million dollars' (840,000 US) of flood damage at his
electrical goods shop was exacerbated when he found looters had
taken advantage of his plight.
"On inspection, I'd seen that they had smashed the display cabinets
and taken the iPods, and they've gone for the top class sort of
products, so it's just very, very sad," he told the Australian
Broadcasting Corporation.
Pub owner Vanessa Loades said her premises in Newcastle was hit
twice by gangs of looters who stole cigarettes and alcohol, as well
as causing 250,000 dollars in damage to gaming machines that they
tried to pry open looking for money.
Loades told Australian Associated Press that she had hired a
security guard after her pub was first hit Friday, but he was
beaten up when about 30 looters returned the next night.
Police said cars abandoned in the floodwaters had radios and
possessions removed, while the Australian newspaper reported
looters in boats had cruised swollen creeks in the Central Coast
region stealing from empty homes.
Police denied complaints from victims who said they had been told
nothing could be done about the looters because available resources
were concentrated on helping the emergency response.
Among those killed as the storms swept the east coast were three
children and two adults from one family, who died when their car
plunged into a flooded creek after the road collapsed beneath
them.
The Insurance Council of Australia said it had received 15,000
claims and estimated storm damage at 200 million dollars.
Stephen Delaney, spokesman for emergency services in New South
Wales state, said authorities were concentrating on reaching a
small number of people still isolated in the Hunter Valley and
repairing storm damage as waters receded.
"Our people are definitely planning on working right until it's
over and at this stage that incorporates right through to Friday,"
he said.
Health authorities warned people to keep away from the floodwaters
where possible because it may have been contaminated by overflowing
sewerage pumping stations.
Maritime officials in the state said stabilisation work was
continuing on the coal carrier Pasha Bulker, which was forced
aground in Newcastle harbour Friday by gale-force winds and huge
seas.
Newcastle Port Corporation chief executive Gary Webb said that
removing the 40,000 tonne vessel was a complex task.
"This isn't like backing a tow truck to tow a car out after an
accident," Webb told commercial television.
Some coal loading resumed Tuesday at Newcastle, but operations are
expected to be hampered by damage to rail tracks used to move coal
into the port from mines in the Hunter Valley.
