BRISBANE, Australia: Heavy rain prompted new flood warnings in Australia even as thousands of volunteers cleaned up the gooey mess coating homes and streets in its third-largest city Saturday. Four states had flood warnings due to overflowing rivers and rain, while Queensland worked to recover from its deadly, weekslong disaster. Large parts of the vast state are still under water and some places are still on alert for flooding. In Brisbane, the water that swamped entire neighborhoods has mostly receded, leaving behind a thick, putrid sludge. About 7,000 residents joined 600 military personnel in what was dubbed “Salvation Saturday” to shovel, mop and sweep away the mess after the Brisbane River overflowed earlier this week. The volunteers were given mops, garbage bags and cleaning supplies before being bused to the areas of Brisbane most in need. More than 28,650 properties still lack power, energy supplier Energex said. Some parts of the electricity network were flooded or washed away, but the receding waters will allow better access to the infrastructure so power can be restored to more properties Saturday.
