Three rescued from floodwater in north Qld
Melissa Meehan |
Three people have been rescued from floodwater in north Queensland as wild weather hits the state’s north.
The three women are being treated at Proserpine Hospital after they were found clinging to a tree in floodwaters in Palm Grove, north of Mackay, on Sunday afternoon.
Waters have been rising as a monsoon trough brings severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall to the north coast.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services received 72 calls for help in the 24 hours to 9am on Sunday.
Half of those calls related to flooding, and the rest were for structural issues or trees down, a spokesman said.
The Bureau of Meteorology warns locally intense rainfall which could lead to “dangerous and life-threatening” flash flooding will continue on Monday over parts of the Herbert and Lower Burdekin and Central Coast and Whitsundays districts.
Although widespread heavy rainfall has eased north of Ayr, isolated severe thunderstorms with locally heavy rainfall remains possible across the northeast tropics, including the Townsville area, the BOM said on Sunday.
QFES urged residents to keep up to date with warnings and alerts and not to attempt to drive through floodwaters.
Meanwhile NSW firefighters will travel to Western Australia to help with that state’s flood response.
WA’s north was inundated after extreme weather dumped record amounts of water across the region.
Six firefighters will head to Broome and Kalgoorlie, which are now bearing the brunt of the weather.
They will be there for five days, helping with community liaison as well as planning and safety.
Another group of specialist NSW firefighters, an in-water team, was sent to the far west to help with efforts in Menindee, where the remote town has been cut off by floodwater.
AAP
