BRISBANE, Australia — Deadly floodwaters began to recede today from the devastated streets of Australia’s third-largest city, while officials warned it could be days before people can return to thousands of swamped homes and businesses — and many may be unsalvageable.

One man died in Brisbane after being sucked into a storm drain by the muddy waters, said Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh. The discovery, plus two other bodies found today, brought the death toll to 25 since late November.

“Queensland is reeling this morning from the worst natural disaster in our history and possibly in the history of our nation,” a visibly emotional Bligh told reporters. “We’ve seen three-quarters of our state having experienced the devastation of raging floodwaters and we now face a reconstruction task of postwar proportions.”

Officials told evacuated Brisbane residents it would be days before they could return to some of the 30,000 inundated homes and businesses, though no bans were in place preventing people from surveying the damage. Others were told their homes will never be habitable again.

The flooding across Queensland has submerged dozens of towns — some three times — and left an area the size of Germany and France combined under water.