Flood waters in Brisbane reached a 4.46-metre peak at 5.30 am local time today - lower than the 5.2-metre peak predicted earlier this week. By noon, the Bureau of Meteorology reported that the Brisbane river was at 3.91 metres and steady.

But with an offshore cyclone now forecast, Reuters reports that further floods are feared - and Brisbane already faces a clean-up operation that may last for months, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

As things stand, 15 people are now confirmed dead, and a further 61 people remain missing, reports Australia's Broadcasting Corporation. The environmental implications of the floods are also likely to be profound.

A week ago, fears of a plague of crocodiles and snakes - including venomous taipans, brown snakes and red-bellied blacks - in the Queensland area made the news.

Rescue workers dug desperately for survivors on Thursday and struggled to reach areas cut off by floods and landslides that have killed at least 443 people in one of Brazil's deadliest natural disasters in decades.

Torrents of mud and water set off by heavy rains left a trail of destruction through the mountainous Serrana region near the city of Rio de Janeiro, toppling houses, buckling roads and burying entire families as they slept.

"It's like an earthquake struck some areas," said Jorge Mario, the mayor of Teresopolis, where 185 people were killed and scores more were feared dead.

"The death toll is going to climb a lot. There are a lot of people buried who can't get help because rescue teams can't get there," Mario said, adding that three of the town's neighborhoods were destroyed by the flooding.

The mudslides swept away the homes of rich and poor alike in and around Teresopolis and other towns, likely causing billions of dollars in damage. But the brunt of the disaster was borne by poorer rural residents in houses built in risky areas without formal planning permission.

The floods have not affected Brazil's main export crops -- soy, sugar cane, oranges and coffee -- although they could push up local food prices further as the small Serrana region is an important producer of fruit and vegetables for the Rio metropolitan area.

Television images showed rescuers trying to haul residents from raging floodwaters, and going through the ruins of homes in search of survivors, often finding only corpses. One success came when a 6-month-old baby was rescued alive from the rubble of a house, drawing thunderous cheers from residents.

Flooding in Sri Lanka has forced more than one million people out of their homes, the government said Thursday as it began distributing emergency food, clothing and bedding.

At least 23 people have died during a week of monsoon floods, with the centre and east of the island worst hit by rising water levels and mudslides.

A spokesman for the disaster management centre in Colombo said the eastern district of Batticaloa, which saw bloody fighting in the civil war that ended in 2009, was badly affected after heavier than usual seasonal rains.

"Some 541,000 people have been displaced in Batticaloa district alone where we have set up 275 camps to accommodate them," the spokesman said, adding that a total of 1,081,000 people have been displaced.

More than 350,000 people have taken shelter in state-run relief camps while other displaced people have moved to higher ground, often staying with friends or relatives, he said.

Summer rains sent tons of red mud and torrents of water rushing down mountainsides in towns outside Rio de Janeiro, enveloping the homes of rich and poor alike and killing at least 239 people in 24 hours. Some survivors clung to trees to escape the water and landslides.

Rescuers used heavy machinery, shovels and bare hands to dig through debris in a search for survivors Wednesday. It was not immediately clear how many people were rescued. At least 50 remained missing, and officials feared that figure would rise.

In Teresopolis, a town 65 kilometres north of Rio, the rain overflowed creeks and flash floods swept over already water-logged mountainsides. Brick and wooden shacks built on hillsides stripped of trees were washed away in surging earth and water, leaving behind only a long trail of rusty red mud.

Heavy rains and mudslides kill hundreds of people across Brazil each year. Especially punished are the poor, whose rickety homes are often built on steep inclines with little in the way of foundations.

At least 114 people died in Teresopolis, the local Civil Defence agency said. The mountains saw 26 centimetres of rain fall in less than 24 hours.

Torrential summer rains tore through Rio de Janeiro state's mountains, killing at least 140 people in 24 hours, Brazilian officials said Wednesday. Rescuers using heavy machinery, shovels and bare hands struggled to dig through tons of mud and debris in a search for survivors.

In Teresopolis, a town 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Rio, flash floods tossed cars into trees and mudslides poured tons of red earth over houses below. At least 114 died, according to a local Civil Defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to release the information. She added that 10 inches (26 centimeters) of rain fell on the town during 24 hours.

Survivors waded through waist-high water, carrying what belongings they could, trying to reach higher ground. Flood water continued to flow down the mountains, though rains had stopped.

"I've lived here 25 years and I've never seen anything like it," Teresopolis citizen Manoel Rocha Sobrinho told the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper. "I live on high ground and when I looked below, I only saw a sea of mud. Most people saved themselves by climbing trees."

Manila, Philippines - Some 2,929 hectares of rice farmlands were damaged by the continuous rains in Albay, the Department of Agriculture said in a report on Tuesday.

The damaged rice areas are 12 municipalities in the province of Albay that have been flooded due to the heavy rains that have been battering the region, according to Marilyn V. Sta Calataina, the DA Bicol regional technical director who has placed production loss at about P13.37 million.

Majority of the affected rice crops were either newly planted or in their vegetative stage as the cropping season has just started, Catalina said.

Of the 2,929 affected areas, 85.8 percent or 2,516 hectares were considered to "have a chance of recovery" and only 413 hectares were destroyed, with no chance of recovery.

The areas greatly affected by the flooding are: Tabaco City with over 932 hectares; Legaspi City with over 592 hectares and Malinao with over 420 hectares.

The weather bureau yesterday renewed warnings about heavy rain and flash flooding in the north and northeast today and tomorrow.

Bureau of Meteorology Media and Community Relations manager Malcolm Riley said computer models were suggesting that several hundred millimetres of rain could fall between Tuesday midnight and Friday midnight.

"Heavy falls are expected about the north and northeast where there is the possibility of flash flooding ," Mr Riley said.

"Northern rivers could reach at least moderate flood level.

The warnings come as police warned motorists to drive with caution in the extreme weather.

A car flipped on its roof in slippery conditions on the Midland Hwy near Perth yesterday and the driver was lucky to escape without serious injuries.

Honolulu -- The National Weather Service placed Kauai and Oahu under a flash flood warning Wednesday morning as an anticipated storm system arrived.

The storm is also forecast to bring strong southwest winds. A wind advisory for much of the state begins at noon Wednesday.

Kauai and Oahu could see the worst of the storm on Wednesday, forecasters said.

Forecasters said conditions could bring heavy showers or thunderstorms and stall over the central islands on Thursday.

Forecasters say the heaviest rainfall amounts will most likely affect the western half of the state, but that there could be a threat of flash flooding on all islands. There is also a chance of thunderstorms that may cause rainfall totals to increase even more.

Monitor the latest forecasts and stay with KITV.com and KITV4 News.

Sri Lankan government officials have confirmed that flooding caused by heavy rains has taken 18 lives and forced 200,000 people to evacuate their homes.

Monsoon rains in the east and north-eastern parts have caused flooding which has affected an estimated one million people according to the State Disaster Management Centre.

Flood waters are reported to be up to one metre in some areas and warnings of mudslides have been issued. The flooding comes as Australia and the Philippines battle devastating floods of their own. Europe is also just recovering from a severe winter snap that caused massive public and transportation delays.

The Sri Lankan government has sent in its army, navy and air force to help in the relief effort. It is estimated that around 160,000 of rice paddy fields have been flooded causing worries about the years rice harvest.

Heavy rainfall and flooding that prompted widespread production downgrades and caused considerable damage to crops in Australia's eastern states look set to continue, with the government's Bureau of Meteorology Tuesday posting severe weather warnings for many areas.

Rabobank Australia downgraded its production forecast for Australian cotton, sugar and sorghum crops in 2011, and said there are further downside risks, potentially reducing availability for exports.

Premier Anna Bligh declared the entire northeast state of Queensland a disaster zone after massive rains and flash floods to the west of Brisbane city killed nine people Monday. Bligh said the death toll could double, with scores still missing.