Six large rivers had hit major flood levels and were still rising, said the Bureau of Meteorology. Throughout the day several towns suffered the same fate and were submerged under floodwaters. NSW police said they had recovered the body of a woman from floodwaters on Friday, the first reported death since Cyclone Debbie hit on Tuesday. She told Reuters of one rescue where she plucked a man from rushing water on the town's main street. Debbie will hit Australia's A$1.7 trillion ($1.3 trillion) economy, with economists estimating it will slow growth to under 2 percent in the first quarter.

Source: Sunday Times March 31, 2017 07:52 UTC