Floods and Fires Claim 11 Lives Over Christmas Holiday

Devastating storms have swept the east coast of Australia, leading to the death of 10 people in Queensland and Victoria over the Christmas holiday break. The storms created major power outages, leaving more than 100,000 homes without power and 800 powerlines down in Queensland. A boat capsized in Moreton Bay near Brisbane, leading to the death of three men, aged 48, 69, and 59. Two women also lost their lives after being swept away in floodwaters in Gympie, Queensland. In Victoria, two bodies were discovered at a campground in the state’s east that flooded on Dec. 26. A third person in that state also died following a branch falling at his property in eastern Victoria....