Drought knocked out by 6.7-inch flood

SYDNEY, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- The same farmers who were worried by Australia's drought are now dealing with floodwaters after some areas got 6.7 inches of rain.

"One minute we were in the middle of a severe drought and in a matter of hours we were in flood," Coonamble Mayor Tim Horan said. "It's ironic we have been declared a natural disaster as we've now got farmers using the drought assistance line as the flood line."

Coonamble was one of the areas that received almost 7 inches of rain Monday, The Daily Telegraph in Sydney reported.

While the rain may help some farmers, industry experts say it's a long way from ending the drought.

"Droughts have to be broken by floods and it's a good start but there is still a lot of the state that didn't get a drop," said Horan, adding that the damage bill was at least $4 million.