Australia has deployed troops to tackle “once-in-a-century” floods that have inundated houses, schools and airports in the country’s northeast, forcing hundreds to flee and bringing crocodiles onto the streets.

The Australian Defence Forces on Monday filled sandbags, deployed amphibious cargo vehicles and helped pluck flashlight-wielding residents from their rooftops, as monsoon rains drenched the northern state of Queensland.

Australia’s tropical north typically experiences heavy rains during the monsoon season, but the recent downpour has far exceeded normal levels.

The weather bureau warned of “dangerous and high velocity flows” along the Ross River after the flood gates were opened fully at the Ross River dam late on Sunday, releasing about 1,900 cubic metres of water a second.

Even after the release, as of Monday morning, the dam was still at 229 percent capacity, holding about 532,000 gigalitres of water, or roughly as much as Sydney Harbour.

“We’re hoping to see an easing trend from tomorrow,” bureau spokeswoman Jess Gardner said, adding that the rains could move further south, towards Mackay, a major coal exporting area.

‘Never seen so much water’

More than 1,100 people have called the emergency services for urgent help, according to Annastacia Palaszczuk, the state premier.

Schools and courts remain closed, more rain is on the way and emergency warnings still in effect for more than a dozen rivers, with winds expected to gust at up to 100km an hour on the coast.

Up to 20,000 homes are at risk of being inundated if the rains continue, according to officials.

“It’s basically not just a one in 20-year event, it’s a one-in-100-year event,” said Palaszczuk. “This is unprecedented, we’ve never seen anything like this before,” she said.

In hard-hit Townsville, cars were mostly submerged, with picket fences barely poking through waist-deep flood waters.

“We’ve never seen so much water in our lives,” said local radio journalist Gabi Elgood. “You think there can’t possibly be any more to come but the rain just doesn’t stop.”

Desperate residents had to contend not only with flash flooding, landslides and power blackouts, but also reptilian predators that have been spotted in residential roads and cul-de-sacs.

There were several saltwater crocodile sightings in the flood-ravaged Townsville area. 

A major port for northern Australia, Townsville is the country’s top exporter of copper, zinc, lead and sugar. Its port remains open, but cargo loadings have faced interruptions due to heavy rain, a port spokeswoman said. 

Emergency services have struggled to respond to the scale of the disaster, carrying out 18 “swift water rescues” overnight.

Around 400 Townsville residents have sought shelter at nearby Lavarak military barracks and the Red Cross is also assisting with the response and recovery effort.

“Small boats worked through the night to evacuate members of the community,” said local commander Brigadier Scott Winter.

Ergon Energy’s spokesperson Emma Oliveri told AFP news agency that more than 16,000 people were without power and they are unable to say when the lights will come back on.

The town of Ingham, just north of Townsville, got over 10 centimetres of rain in just a few hours on Monday morning, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

A year’s worth of rain

The Bureau of Meteorology’s Adam Blazak told AFP the downpours could continue until Thursday, while floodwaters will take some time to recede even when the rains lessen.

Some areas are expected to get a year’s worth of rain in just over a week.

The region receives an average of about 2,000 millimetres of rain annually, but some towns are already on track to pass that.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Townsville resident Chris Brookehouse told national broadcaster ABC, adding that his house was flooded with water more than one metre deep.

“The volume of water is just incredible. Downstairs is gone, the fridge and freezer are floating. Another five or six steps and upstairs is gone too.”

Blazak said that with adverse weather predicted to continue for up to 72 hours, some regions could see record-breaking levels of rainfall.

A silver lining to the deluge is that it has boosted drought-stricken farmers in western Queensland.

The downpours come amid a severe drought that has left graziers struggling to keep in business.

Rob Goldberg@TheRobGoldbergTwitter LogoFeatured ColumnistFebruary 4, 2019

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The Oakland Raiders will remain in the Bay Area for the 2019 season but will reportedly play in San Francisco. 

According to Raj Mathai of NBC Bay Area, the team will play its home games in Oracle Park, the current home of the San Francisco Giants.

The franchise has spent the last 24 years in Oakland but is set to relocate to Las Vegas in 2020.

This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.

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San Salvador, El Salvador– Nayib Bukele has declared victory in El Salvador’s presidential elections, after preliminary results showed him defeating the candidates of the two traditional parties that have long dominated the country’s polarised politics.

“At this moment, we can announce with complete certainty that we have won the presidency of El Savador in the first round,” the 37-year-old, a former San Salvador mayor, told a press conference on Sunday evening.

“We made history,” added Bukele, calling supporters to celebrate in Morazan Plaza in San Salvador’s historic centre, one of the flagship revitalisation projects during his tenure as mayor of the capital.

With 80 percent of votes counted, Bukele was leading the race with 53.4 percent, exceeding the 50 percent threshold required to avoid a runoff.

His main rival, Carlos Calleja, of the conservative Nation Republican Alliance (ARENA), was second with 31.8 percent.

Ex-Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez, of the ruling left-wing Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), trailed in third place with the 14 percent.

The new president will take office on June 1 for a five-year term.

Raquel Caballero, the human rights ombudsperson, told Al Jazeera voting was smooth. “In general terms, the electoral process was carried out without incident,” she said.

But Julio Olivo Granadino, the president of the electoral commission, told reporters that a press conference held by Bukele two hours before the closing of the polls, in which he urged voters to cast their ballots, marked a “clear” election campaigning violation.

Security and jobs

Bukele, previously a member of the left-wing FMLN, ran on a ticket with the right-wing GANA, an offshoot of ARENA.

In the lead-up to the vote, which was held against a backdrop of public disillusionment following several high-level graft scandals, Bukele repeatedly lambasted the political class as corrupt and thieving. 

Three out of four of El the country’s most recent presidents – from ARENA and the FMLN – have been investigated for embezzling millions from public coffers. Bukele also faces an investigation for possible tax evasion.

Bukele proposed setting up an internationally-backed anti-impunity mission to combat corruption and promised voters to create a “compact and efficient” government that uses “big data” to solve problems. 

For his part, Calleja, a United States-educated business executive whose family owns El Salvador’s largest supermarket chain, campaigned on a platform of employment creation. A newcomer to politics, Calleja pledged to generate 300,000 jobs and run a government that interacts closely with the people.

The FMLN’s Martinez, meanwhile, ran on a six-point platform of job creation, health, education, security, environmental protection and support for Salvadorans abroad.

“The most important [issue] is the insecurity,” says Mario Leiba, 50, a long-time ARENA supporter who served in the army during the country’s 12-year civil war that ended in 1992.

“I don’t see a concrete response – they all promise the same thing. The question is whether they will fulfill (their promises).”

Top priorities

Last year, the country’s murder rate dropped to 50 per 100,000 people, the lower rate since a truce between rival gangs – covertly facilitated by the government – broke down in 2013. But while homicide numbers dip, reports of missing people have been on the rise in recent years.

In addition to a dire security situation, the new government will inherit an ailing economy and an increasingly hostile attitude from Washington.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to cut aid to El Salvador, as well as neighbouring Honduras and Guatemala, over a steady outpouring of migrants heading north, which he says the region’s governments have failed to contain.

A majority of Salvadorans believe their country’s relationship with the US is deteriorating, according to a recent poll by the Centre for Citizen Studies.

“Insecurity, lack of jobs – that’s why the [migrant] caravans are leaving,” said Elgar Gonzalez, a 44-year-old delivery driver.

“The country is considered one of the most dangerous [in the world]. The government needs to deal with this,” added Gonzalez.

During his time as San Salvador’s mayor from 2015 to 2018, Bukele captured international attention as a millennial leader with a knack for social media and a plan to revitalise a city notorious for its gang violence.

His mayorship was marked by high approval ratings and is mostly remembered for remodeling public spaces in the historic city centre.

“It would be good if he [Bukele] continues the same pattern he had as mayor,” said Gonzalez, who voted for Bukele. “Because he worked maybe not 100 percent but we saw [results from] what he did.”

For another Bukele supporter, 29-year-old Camila Portillo, the new government’s top priorities should include “eradicating corruption” and “being more inclusive of vulnerable communities”.

‘Different from traditional’

Alvaro Artiga, professor of political science at the Jose Simeon Canas Central American University, said Bukele’s anti-establishment message struck a chord with the dissatisfied electorate – young voters, in particular.

“He presents himself as different from the traditional,” said Artiga.

But without an established party, a Bukele administration would face steep challenges.

ARENA holds the largest bloc in the legislature, with 37 seats. It is followed by the FMLN, which has 23.

GANA and another smaller party Bukele allied with together hold 11 seats, while other parties control a total of 13 seats.

“He needs to strengthen his party,” Artiga said of Bukele’s likely political priority to seek gains in the 2021 legislative elections. “The only way to do that is by adopting measures with some popularity.”

“In this sense, it could be that he continues with many of the [FMLN] programmes. But as he has promised a train along the coast, four new hospitals, a new airport – he will have to do some of that,” Artiga said.

“The problem is whether he will be able to do it given the fiscal restrictions.”

In addition to a stagnant economy, El Salvador struggles with steep public debt at 70 percent of GDP, according to the World Bank.

María Teresa Martinez, a 65-year-old Bukele supporter, said she was concerned about her eight grandchildren’s future.

“There’s no work for the youth, the new government needs to address this. When there’s work, there’s more development.”

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State of the Union 2019

Under the president’s 10-year strategy, health officials would target the U.S. communities with the most HIV infections.

President Donald Trump plans to use Tuesday night’s State of the Union address to promise an end to the HIV epidemic in America, four individuals with knowledge of the planned remarks told POLITICO.

Under Trump’s 10-year strategy, health officials would target the U.S. communities with the most HIV infections and work to reduce transmissions by 2030. The strategy has been championed by top health officials, including HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Robert Redfield.

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While Trump’s plans for the address remain fluid — and one official cautioned that the speech is not finalized — HHS has pressed the White House to ensure the HIV strategy is highlighted on Tuesday night, said two individuals. The agency is also planning a broader rollout this week.

An HHS spokesperson referred questions to the White House. A White House spokesperson declined to comment.

More than 1 million Americans have HIV, according to the CDC, and about 40,000 are newly infected every year.

The State of the Union historically has been a platform for presidents to make bold public health proclamations — many of which haven’t come to pass. Former President Barack Obama used his final address in January 2016 to call for an end to cancer. While the cancer rate has continued to decline, more than 600,000 U.S. residents were estimated to have died from cancer last year.

Under Trump’s HIV strategy, health officials would spend the first five years focusing on communities across roughly 20 states where the most HIV infections occur. The ultimate goal is to stop new infections over a 10-year period, said two officials, with some parallels to how the Trump administration is targeting the opioid epidemic.

The strategy was heavily shaped by Redfield, a prominent AIDS researcher who was tapped to lead the CDC last year. Redfield told an all-hands meeting at the CDC last year that ending AIDS by 2025 was possible with existing public health tools, like more widespread use of condoms.

Brett Giroir, the HHS assistant secretary for health who’s overseen much of the Trump administration’s opioid work, has also been tapped to steer the rollout of the HIV strategy.

The Trump administration has had an at times fraught relationship with the HIV/AIDS community. The president in January 2018 fired his HIV/AIDS advisory panel with no explanation, and the panel’s new members weren’t sworn in until last week.

Trump also repeatedly sought to cut the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, better known as PEPFAR — a multibillion-dollar initiative launched by former President George W. Bush, which has been credited with saving more than 17 million lives around the world. However, Trump in December 2018 signed an extension to the program that received bipartisan support.

Meanwhile, advocates have raised concerns that the Trump administration is rolling back key protections for LGBTQ patients, who are disproportionately prone to HIV infections. About two-thirds of new HIV infections are in gay or bisexual men.

HIV/AIDS researchers have criticized Trump’s health department for an effort — spearheaded by Giroir and supported by anti-abortion advocates — to seek alternatives to fetal tissue research. HIV/AIDS researchers say fetal tissue is necessary for developing a potential vaccine for the disease.

Brianna Ehley contributed to this report.