In Australia, flood crisis now shifted to the country’s far south today with more than 1,400 homes swamped by a record deluge. Dozens of towns braced for unprecedented river levels in Victoria state, where emergency officials said more than 3,500 people have fled. Homes were swamped to waist height as waters swept through the southeast, leveling fences and trees and tearing up roads.

Soldiers are helping people evacuate from their homes. Meanwhile, the death toll in Queensland has risen to 18 with the discovery of two bodies in the ruined Lockyer Valley today.

Experts have linked Australia’s downpours to an especially strong La Nina weather pattern bringing cooler water temperatures and exacerbating the traditional tropical cyclone season. Five of the nation’s seven states and territories have seen flooding since January 1.