It's the annual rodeo that puts the small farming community of Stonehenge, near Longreach in Western Queensland, on the map.

But this year, the Stonehenge Bushman's Carnival came very close to being cancelled after flooding devastated the cattle-producing region in March.

With no footy fields, no RSL, no library or town hall, the rodeo showgrounds are the community centre of Stonehenge.

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Charmaine Batt, the secretary of the showgrounds and wife of cattle farmer David, said the rain caught the community off guard.

"I didn't think of the rodeo grounds straight away because we obviously had our own bit going on and watching the water run past our houses," she said.

"My husband flies a chopper so he got out as soon as he could and was just checking on people, making sure that people were safe.

"He had evacuated some neighbours into the closest town of Jundah, and then he continued on to help move what livestock he could to get them of out of the way of the river that just kept getting higher and higher.

"But then someone had actually flown over the showgrounds in their chopper and sent a photo and we were like, 'Oh my goodness, we've got more on our hands here'."

With the roads cut for weeks, Batt asked her husband to fly her into the showgrounds to see how much damage had been done.

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She said everything was caked in a thick layer of mud, including thousands of dollars' worth of catering equipment.

But the thought of the rodeo being cancelled was heartbreaking.

"We rely on these events each year to connect and take a break from reality and just have a good weekend," Batt said.

"The kids are all keen to participate, they can ride a horse… ride a motorbike.

"The adults come together and we connect and have a laugh and support each other and not only that, but it brings a bit of economy to the town, and keeps the town alive.

"It was very important to us that it was revived."

In a community of only 50 people, who were all working to repair their own properties and livelihoods, it was going to take a miracle to get the showgrounds up and running in time for the rodeo in August.

And on a trip to the nearby town of Jundah, Batt found one.

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"I ran into a Farm Angels stall set up there helping all the locals… we were just chatting to them and they were checking on us, seeing if we were okay and what we needed," Batt said.

It wasn't long after that meeting that Farm Angels chief operating officer Jenny Gailey got in touch.

Farm Angels, previously known as Drought Angels, is a national organisation that began as a grassroots effort to support local Chinchilla farmers impacted by drought in 2014.

The organisation's key focus is supporting the mental health and wellbeing of farmers.

Batt said Gailey organised 20 BlazeAid volunteers to help at a working bee with locals, shovelling mud and cleaning windows.

She then organised another charity, GivIt, to help with sourcing $20,000 worth of canteen equipment.

Farm Angels also provided $5000 in cash to help the committee get the event up and running.

"We all think we can do it ourselves," Batt said.

"With these kinds of disasters, we're just sort of bracing ourselves to start fundraising, applying for grants and fixing things ourselves, and it was really a weight off our shoulders when she got in contact with us and said that she wanted to do everything she could.

"It's not just the financial side of things and the equipment, but just the fact that they're helping lift the whole community up in general, and she's always just a phone call away."

Farm Angels founder Tash Johnston said the challenges facing farmers are complex.

"Our family farms are struggling to pay their bills and put food on their own tables," she told nine.com.au.

"The economic pressures, are mounting on them.

"There's a big push to move to regenerative farming and improving farming techniques, which many of them are really working on but at the same time, that costs money.

"When they're getting paid the same prices that they did back in 1973 for their beef and their grain and their milk, you know, it's hard for them to move to these practices.

"These disasters are coming thicker and faster, in the current times, whether it's climate change or whether it's weather cycles, they are facing these challenges a lot closer together.

"We know this recovery is going to take them three to five years… so we stay with them, we'll continue supporting them, checking up on them."

She said the best way to support Australian farmers was to buy Australian produce.

"We lose a farmer every 10 days to suicide in this country," Johnston said.

"We've got to do better."

Farm Angels Flanno for a Farmer campaign is underway now.

The Stonehenge Bushman's Carnival is on August 15-17.

Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyond blue on 1300 22 4636.

Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.

MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78.

A wild 17th birthday party has left a major cleanup at a holiday rental after around 100 revellers crammed into an Adelaide home.

More than a dozen police were called in to break up the crowd after neighbours raised the alarm last night.

The roaring teenage rave overtook a quiet Para Hills street.

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The house party at the holiday home attracted a massive crowd with patrols calling for back up as they tried to break up the large group.

"Cops were saying like they couldn't even stand inside, everyone was body-to-body," homeowner Aruthur KC told 9News.

The crowd of 100 were sent packing by police, which allowed the owner of the holiday home to take back control of his Kester Street home.

Arthur spent the morning cleaning up after the youngsters, with the remnants pointing towards a wild birthday party.

"I showed them around, they look like good young good kids when they came in," he said.

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It's not just the massive clean up that Arthur has had to deal with, the guests have completely rearranged the furniture in his home – he even found a book case in his pantry.

"We have been stressing the whole night, the drama that unfolded and you know the stress, we had to lock down the whole place," he said.

While Arthur said he won't be pressing charges, he is now thinking twice about listing his property on rental sites.

"I love serving guests you know, its my passion to cater to people, but yeah [it] doesnt look like it will happen anymore."

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A West Australian teen has fronted court in Perth, charged with murdering a father in front of his young son in Midland.

Tawhai Walker Loughlin turned 18 just two months ago but could now face life behind bars.

The community have been laying flowers on on Great Northern Highway after the 33-year-old dad was found in his car with stab wounds on Thursday night.

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The alleged attack was apparently witnessed by his young son.

The man was rushed to hospital but nothing could be done.

Today, police were back at a second crime scene, which remains cordoned off two days after the alleged attack, scouring the house one street away.

It's here neighbours say a man was arrested, found hiding in a backyard. Though it's still unclear if, or how, the two locations are connected.

Police initially questioned three people before charging one with murder overnight.

Loughlin today faced court in Northbridge.

Acquaintances were seen crying in the back of the court room as Magistrate Anne Longden told the Midland teenager "this is a very serious charge here".

Loughlin walked into the dock wearing a white shirt and black pants, with the 18-year-old's brief appearance lasting around a minute.

He asked the magistrate, "is that it", as he was led away.

The teen will remain behind bars and is due to face court again at the end of the month.

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A concerned Melbourne father has uncovered that alleged paedophile Joshua Brown worked at his daughter's childcare last year but the centre hasn't been included on the official police investigation list.

Abraham Khoury took his little girl to be tested and said he was furious her carers haven't been upfront with parents.

Brown was working at Milestones Early Learning Centre in Greensborough on December 5 last year and sitting next to Khoury's little girl.

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An eagle-eyed parent spotted the image on the childcare's communication app and raised the alarm.

"To know that he was there, and we were all kept in the dark about it, no one told us, there was no information available," Khoury said.

"You're angry, you've been lied to, you feel gross."

The centre hasn't yet been included on the official list released by investigators.

"We have to get our child tested for sexually-transmitted diseases," Khoury said.

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Khoury has contacted Milestones Early Learning Centre, which is owned by Affinity group, but had no response. 

"It's not good enough," Khoury said.

Police are continuing to work through material provided by centres across the state to confirm the 26-year-old's employment history.

"We welcome the fact that people have been able to come forward with their advice, and we continue to ask them to do that," Victorian Police Minister Anthony Carbines said.

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One operator has already responded with a proposal to ban male staff from changing nappies at its 16 Victorian centres.

But industry experts have warned against knee-jerk reactions and said changes need to be implemented at a national level to ensure the best decisions are being made to increase safety in every facility.

"Children deserve that safety from all of their educators and educators also deserve that peace of mind," Australian Childcare Alliance vice president Nesha Hutchinson said.

"There needs to be reform, there needs to be cameras, there needs to be just more, because right now, it's the bare minimum," Khoury said.

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Two young female police officers were responding to a welfare check when one officer was kicked and punched, leaving her unconscious for more than an hour.

A 19-year-old was charged with allegedly assaulting the officers in Sydney's west last night.

Two female police officers aged 22 and 23 were called to Bunya Road in Bidwill, near Mt Druitt, after reports of a 19-year-old man lying on the road at 6.30pm yesterday.

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The officers tried to talk to the man when he allegedly became aggressive and kicked the 23-year-old in the stomach before hitting her in the head.

"She was unconscious for approximately 60 to 70 minutes," NSW Police detective superintendent Darrin Batchelor said.

When her 22-year-old partner tried to intervene, she was also allegedly assaulted.

She tried to use capsicum spray on the offender when two other officers arrived on the scene, and they were able to subdue the 19-year-old man.

"In a very short timeframe, allegedly he punched a female officer and kicked the other female officer as well," Batchelor said.

"Physically they're doing relatively OK, considering what's occurred, however psychologically they're all shaken.

"The police force is a family, so the events of last night have affected the entire police force."

He was taken to Mt Druitt Police Station, before being taken to Nepean Hospital for a mental health assessment.

While he was being moved, the man allegedly bit a third police officer on the arm.

The male constable was taken to Mt Druitt Hospital for treatment.

Acting NSW police commissioner Peter Thurtell said the alleged assaults were an example of the risks police officers face on a daily basis.

"This was an allegedly unprovoked and sickening attack on three young police officers who were simply doing their job," Thurtell said.

"I commend the bravery and courage of the officers involved, they deserve respect not violence.

"Police attend these welfare-related jobs on a daily basis and incidents like this one highlight the risks and dangers officers face when they are out on our streets protecting the local community."

The 23-year-old officer was treated by paramedics at the scene and was taken to the hospital in a stable condition.

She was released from care this morning after being treated for a concussion.

The second officer was taken to hospital as a precaution and was treated for bruising and scratching.

The 19-year-old man was later taken to Mt Druitt Police Station, where he was charged with six offences, including assaulting a police officer.

He was refused bail to appear before Parramatta Local Court tomorrow.

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Police are hunting an arsonist who set fire to a Melbourne synagogue with more than a dozen people, including children, inside.

The unknown man entered the grounds of the synagogue on Albert Street in East Melbourne at 8pm yesterday.

He poured flammable liquid on the front door of the religious building and set it alight before fleeing, Victoria Police said.

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There were 20 people, including children, having a Shabbat dinner inside the synagogue at the time, however everyone was able to evacuate from the back.

Fire crews were able to extinguish the blaze, which was contained to the front entrance.

Victoria Police Commander Zorka Dunstan said the arson was being treated very seriously, but it had not been declared a terrorist attack.

"This was clearly a targeted fire and we will not accept any acts of anti-Semitism or hate-based crime," Dunstan said.

Police have released a CCTV image of a man they wish to speak to in relation to the fire.

He is described as being of Caucasian descent, and aged in his mid-30s. He has a beard and long hair, and was seen wearing dark clothing.

Jenny and Danny were two of the group inside when the fire was started.

"It's beyond belief and I just feel that it's un-Australian," Danny said.

Dr Dvir Abramovich from the Anti-Defamation Commission also spoke out about the incident.

"We don't have to wait for somebody to be killed or injured to take this threat seriously," Abramovich said.

Police said at this stage the man's motive is unclear.

"We are not declaring this a terrorist incident; we will determine the intent of the persons involved to determine if it is terrorism," Dunstan said.

Police investigate two separate incidents

In a separate incident, a group of 20 protestors stormed and trashed an Israeli restaurant on Hardware Street in Melbourne's CBD.

Witnesses say the group was chanting "death to the IDF" before they arrived at the restaurant called Miznon.

Diners were fearful as the group threw food and chairs at windows and knocked over tables. 

One 28-year-old was arrested at the time and has been released, and a further investigation will follow to identify the alleged offenders.

Dunstan said the small group had peeled away from a larger protest in the CBD.

Victoria Police also revealed a third incident took place this morning, but they have not linked the three separate attacks – it is not clear whether the third attack was an anti-Semitic motivated attack.

In the third incident, a group of men entered the premises of a business on Para Road in Greensborough at 4.30am.

Three cars were torched and spray paint was used to vandalise vehicles and a wall of the business, which is known to manufacture parts for military planes.

Police said they have not confirmed an anti-Semitic motive for the attack on the business; however, Dunstan said they alerted the press to the incident because they had "been subject to pro-Palestinian activity" in the last 12 months.

She clarified there were no previous criminal attacks on the building, but rather protest activity surrounding the business. 

"Investigators across all three incidents are liaising with counter terrorism to understand if there are any links," Dunstan said.

"At this stage we are not aware of any links, but we are not discounting it."

Police have not linked the two.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin called the attacks "a severe escalation directed towards our community".

"We urge all sides of politics and all Australians to condemn these deplorable crimes," he said in a statement.

"Those who chant for death are not peace activists.

"Those who would burn houses of prayer with families inside do not seek an end to war.

"Those responsible cannot be reasoned with or appeased.

"They must be confronted with the full force of the law."

Melbourne's Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece called the attack "shocking."

"These are absolutely shocking, unspeakable acts of cowards," Reece told Today.

"I cannot condemn this sort of behaviour in stronger terms… this is a city of peace and tolerance, and we will not stand for this.

"This goes against everything that we stand for."

The Lord Mayor also said the group were sharing a meal when a young boy inside the synagogue alerted everyone to the fire. 

Reece said police are gathering CCTV footage of the area and he is "confident" that they will catch the offender.

"I hope that we throw the absolute book at them… this is racism, this is anti-Semitic racism," he said.

"To target a Jewish place of faith on the Sabbath, there's people inside having a meal, to try to burn it to the ground…is there a more despicable act that you can think of in a busy city?" 

Minister for home affairs Tony Burke said he condemned the attack on the Melbourne synagogue in the "strongest possible terms".

"Australians have a right to feel safe from violence and bigotry," Burke said.

Minister for multicultural affairs Dr Anne Aly joined Burke in the condemnation of attack and said all Australians have a right to safety.

"Acts of anti-Semitism violate those rights and should face the full force of the law," Aly said.

Investigators are working to find a motive for the arson attack.

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The winning tickets were sold in Auckland and on MyLotto to a Waikato player.

Australian actor Julian McMahon, the star of Nip/Tuck, Charmed and the Fantastic Four movies has died of cancer. He was 56.

His wife issued a statement to Deadline confirming his death after a private battle with the disease.

"With an open heart, I wish to share with the world that my beloved husband, Julian McMahon, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer," Kelly McMahon said.

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Tributes to the actor have started pouring in, with fans and peers reminiscing on their favourite characters played by the McMahon.

"I can hardly believe he is gone, this is just terrible news to wake up to," Nine's entertainment reporter Richard Wilkins told Today. 

"He was a nice fella, we used to cross paths a bit doing the G'day USA things, but he was very much based in LA.

"Julian will be very fondly remembered by all who came in his path. He was a nice guy… he epitomised tall, dark and handsome.

"He'll be very sadly missed today. I can't believe he's gone."

His cancer diagnosis and battle with the disease were not public knowledge. 

McMahon was born in Sydney on July 27, 1968. His father was Billy McMahon, who served as Prime Minister of Australia from 1971 to 1972.

He is best known for his starring role as Dr. Doom in two Fantastic Four Movies as well as his several beloved soap opera characters throughout his career. 

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He got his start in the industry as a model before transitioning to a lead role in the short-lived Aussie daytime soap opera The Power, The Passion. 

McMahon also appeared in the beloved Home and Away before making his feature acting debut as a lead in the 1992 Australian-American film Wet and Wild Summer!

He moved to Hollywood to continue his acting career and picked up another role in a soap before joining the cast of Charmed as a series regular, playing Cole Turner for three seasons.

Kelly Carlson, who starred in Nip/Tuck alongside McMahon said she was "completely shocked."

"He was a good friend and my acting partner… Jules, thank you for a great six, seven years on Nip/Tuck together, we had so much fun, everybody had so much fun.

McMahon's most recent film was The Surfer, with his last public appearance at the North American premiere in Austin, Texas on March 10.

His co-star, Nicolas Cage, also spoke to Deadline, describing McMahon's death as "deeply saddening news".

"I spent six weeks working with Julian, and he was the most talented of actors," Cage said.

"Our scenes together on The Surfer were amongst my favourites I have ever participated in, and Julian is one of my favorite people.

"He was a kind and intelligent man. My love to his family."

McMahon's Fantastic Four co-star Ioan Gruffud wrote on Instagram it was an "honour" to play opposite him.

"Even though we played each other's nemeses, there was always so much lightness and laughter working together," he said.

"Every encounter with him was a joy."

.Fans of the show took to X to pay their respects. 

"Thank you Julian McMahon for bringing Cole Turner to life. Thank you for my favourite childhood memories of watching Charmed," one X user wrote (formerly Twitter).

"I watched a lot of CHARMED when I grew up so I first saw Julian McMahon as Balthazar. What a fun actor. 56 is too young. Rest In Peace," SNL writer Will Landman said. 

"This one hurts loved Julian in so many things. RIP," another fan wrote. 

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McMahon won a Golden Globe nomination for playing the handsome and charming Dr Christian Troy on FX's hit plastic surgery drama Nip/Tuck, which ran for six seasons.

The Australian actor was once married to singer and actor Dannii Minogue. The pair were married from 1994 to 1995 after meeting on the set of Home and Away.

He also had a daughter with his second wife, Baywatch star Brooke Burns, in June 2000, before the pair divorced in 2001.

He married Kelly Paniagua (now Kelly McMahon) in 2014.

Texas parents frantically posted photos of their young daughters on social media with pleas for information as more than 20 campers from an all-girls summer camp were unaccounted for on Friday after floods tore through the state's south-central region overnight.

At least 13 people were dead and dozens missing after months worth of heavy rain fell in a matter of hours on Texas Hill Country, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said.

The flood-prone region is dotted with century-old summer camps that draw thousands of kids annually from across the Lone Star State.

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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said about 23 girls attending Camp Mystic, a Christian camp along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, were unaccounted for on Friday afternoon.

Search teams were working to conduct helicopter and boat rescues in the fast-moving floodwaters.

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"I'm asking the people of Texas, do some serious praying this afternoon — on-your-knees kind of praying — that we find these young girls," Patrick said.

Families of campers struggle with uncertainty

Dozens of families shared in local Facebook groups that they received devastating phone calls from safety officials informing them that their daughters had not yet been located among the washed-away camp cabins and downed trees.

Some were waiting to hear if their children could be evacuated by helicopter.

Mother of missing Camp Mystic camper Janie Hunt says she had not yet heard anything about her whereabouts after catastrophic flooding hit Kerr County on Friday.

"We are just praying," Janie's mother told CNN.

Nine-year-old Lainey Landry is also missing from the camp, according to her mother Natalie.

She is "brave and sweet," her mother told CNN.

Nine rescue teams, 14 helicopters and 12 drones were being used in the search, Patrick said.

Camp Mystic said in an email to parents that if they have not been contacted directly, their child is accounted for. Safety officials said there were roughly 750 campers.

At an elementary school in nearby Ingram that was being used as a reunification centre, more than a hundred people milled around a courtyard with hopes of seeing their loved one step out of buses dropping off those who had been evacuated.

One young girl wearing a Camp Mystic T-shirt stood in a puddle in her white socks, sobbing in her mother's arms as she rubbed her hands together and watched the buses arrive.

READ MORE: NSW Police officer kicked in head, stomach while on welfare check

Many families hoped to see loved ones who had been at campgrounds and mobile home parks in the area.

Camp Mystic sits on a strip known as "flash flood alley," said Austin Dickson, CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, a charitable endowment that is collecting donations to help non-profits responding to the disaster.

"When it rains, water doesn't soak into the soil," Dickson said. "It rushes down the hill."

Decades prior, floodwaters engulfed a bus of teenage campers from another Christian camp along the Guadalupe River during devastating summer storms in 1987.

A total of 10 campers from Pot O' Gold Christian camp drowned after their bus was unable to evacuate in time from a site near Comfort, 53km east of Hunt.

Leaders at Camp Mystic said they are without power, Wi-Fi and running water, and the highway leading to the camp has washed away.

Two other camps on the river, Camp Waldemar and Camp La Junta, said in Instagram posts that all campers and staff there were safe.

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Flood turns Camp Mystic into a horror story

Chloe Crane, a teacher and former Camp Mystic counsellor, said her heart broke when a fellow teacher shared an email from the camp about the missing girls.

"To be quite honest, I cried because Mystic is such a special place, and I just couldn't imagine the terror that I would feel as a counsellor to experience that for myself and for 15 little girls that I'm taking care of," she said.

"And it's also just sadness, like the camp has been there forever and cabins literally got washed away."

Crane said the camp, which was established in 1926, is a haven for young girls looking to gain confidence and independence.

She recalled happy memories teaching her campers about journalism, making crafts and competing in a camp-wide canoe race at the end of each summer.

Now for many campers and counsellors, their happy place has turned into a horror story, she said.

The camp is split into two neighbouring sites. Cabins housing the youngest campers, who can start attending at age eight, are situated at water level along the banks of the river and were likely the first to flood, Crane said.

Teen campers stay in cabins higher up on the hillside.

READ MORE: Arson attack on synagogue in Melbourne as Israeli restaurant stormed

One family survives a terrifying ordeal

Erin Burgess’ home sits directly across from the river in the Bumble Bee Hills neighbourhood, west of Ingram. When she woke up to thunder at 3:30 a.m. Friday morning, “it was raining pretty heavy, but no big deal,” she said.

Just 20 minutes later, Burgess said water was coming in through the walls and rushing through the front and back doors.

She described an agonizing hour clinging to a tree and waiting for the water to recede enough that they were able to walk up the hill to a neighbour's.

“My son and I floated to a tree where we hung onto it, and my boyfriend and my dog floated away. He was lost for a while, but we found them,” she said, becoming emotional.

Of her 19-year-old son, Burgess said: “Thankfully he’s over six feet tall. That’s the only thing that saved me, was hanging on to him.”

A flood watch issued Thursday afternoon estimated isolated amounts up to 17cm of rising water. That shifted to a flood warning for at least 30,000 people overnight.

When asked about the suddenness of the flash flooding, Kelly said “we do not have a warning system” and that “we didn’t know this flood was coming,” even as local reporters pointed to the warnings and pushed him for answers about why more precautions weren’t taken.

“Rest assured, no one knew this kind of flood was coming,” he said. “We have floods all the time. This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state was providing resources to Hill Country communities dealing with the flooding, including in Kerrville, Ingram and Hunt.

The Texas Hill Country, a scenic and rocky gateway to booming vineyards and vacation rentals, begins west of the state capital and is a popular outdoor summer getaway. Parts of the region are prone to flash flooding.

Ingram Fire Department posted a photo of a statement from Camp Mystic, saying the private Christian summer camp for girls experienced “catastrophic level floods.” Parents with a daughter not accounted for were directly contacted, the camp said.

The Guadalupe’s river gauge at the unincorporated community of Hunt, where the river forks, recorded a 6.7m in just about two hours, according to Bob Fogarty, meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Austin/San Antonio office.

Fogarty said the gauge failed after recording a level of nine metres.

“This is the kind of thing that will catch you unaware,” Fogarty said. “The water’s moving so fast, you’re not going to recognize how bad it is until it’s on top of you.”

Areas east along the Guadalupe River were preparing for their own flooding as the rapid waters rushed downstream from Hunt and Kerrville. In Kendall County, home to the unincorporated community of Comfort, the sheriff’s office sounded the alarm.

“We regret to inform everyone that the flood situation in Comfort is not improving,” the post read. “We have sounded the flood sirens and urge all residents in low-lying areas of town to evacuate immediately.”

New Jersey also sees deaths due to severe weather

Meanwhile, strong thunderstorms were being blamed for at least three deaths in central New Jersey, including two men in Plainfield who died after a tree fell onto a vehicle they were traveling in during the height of a storm there, according to a city Facebook post.

The men were ages 79 and 25, officials said. They were not immediately publicly identified.

“Our hearts are heavy today,” Mayor Adrian O. Mapp said in a statement. “This tragedy is a sobering reminder of the power of nature and the fragility of life.”

The city cancelled its planned July Fourth parade, concert and fireworks show.

Mapp said the “devastating” storms had left “deep scars and widespread damage” in the community of more than 54,000 people and it was a time to “regroup and focus all of our energy on recovery.”

Continuing power outages and downed trees were reported Friday throughout southern New England, where some communities received large amounts of hail. There were reports of cars skidding off the road in north-eastern Connecticut.

The Prime Minister is tipped to 'ruffle feathers' in Washington tonight when he delivers a keynote speech invoking the wartime leadership of John Curtin.

Anthony Albanese is set to spruik Australia's independence in the face of uncertainty over US trade tariffs and our nuclear submarine deal.

The government is dusting off the playbook of the wartime prime minister, 80 years after the passing of the leader who, let down by Britain, "looked to America".

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According to Assistant Minister to the PM, Patrick Gorman, it's "recognising that Australia should stand on our own two feet".

Tonight, the Prime Minister is looking inwards and honouring John Curtin with a speech spruiking Australia's "determination to think and act for ourselves".

"Undoubtedly, Albanese is sending a message to Washington and the Trump administration that Australia is ultimately in control of its own destiny," Professor James Curran of University of Sydney told 9News.

We have seen eight decades of an enduring US friendship and strategic partnership.

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But several months after Donald Trump's inauguration, Anthony Albanese is yet to book a face-to-face with the president.

"I don't believe Mr Albanese has done all he can here to strengthen Australia's position in relation to the United States," Shadow Attorney-General Julian Leeser said.

Curtin and Chifley are two wartime Prime Ministers who re-wrote Australia's foreign policy playbook.

Tonight, the Prime Minister will point out he too has forged new security ties in our region, rebuilt relationships with China and is now looking at a free trade deal with Europe.

"Here we are talking about the opportunity to run a more independent course from Washington," Curran said.

"I'd say this will ruffle feathers of Uncle Sam."

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