No respite as Queensland faces widespread flash floods
Duncan Murray |
Some residents in far north Queensland have had to climb onto their roofs to await rescue as heavy rain from ex-tropical cyclone Jasper causes record flooding in the region.
Rescue vessels have been deployed and the navy has been called on to assist as the rain is forecast to continue throughout Monday and into Tuesday.
Some areas of far north Queensland have been hit with totals of more than a metre and water levels are expected to break 1977 records, while flooding in and around Cairns is already at record levels.
The city is now cut off due to flooded roads and Cairns Airport has been forced to close due to flooding, with parked planes underwater.
Emergency flood warnings have been issued for Machans Beach, Holloways Beach, Yorkeys Knob and parts of Trinity Park, with residents urged to take shelter.
Cairns Regional Council Mayor Terry James said hundreds of homes had water through them and evacuations were continuing.
James Cook University geo-hydrologist Professor Jonathan Nott told the ABC the flood is the largest ever recorded in Cairns “by a substantial amount”.
“It’s a very, very serious flood.”
He said the huge amount of rainfall would flow through the Barron River catchment, risking flooding in suburbs along the river downstream.
Boats from the SES, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, surf lifesaving and water police were deployed after urgent calls for assistance in the area and Premier Steven Miles also sought the help of small rescue vessels from the HMAS Cairns naval base.
Further north, an emergency alert was issued for Wujal Wujal where major flooding from the Bloomfield River was affecting properties.
Evacuations and rescues have been carried out, mostly at Mossman, Douglas, Gordonvale and Innisfail, and homes in low-lying areas have been inundated.
Roads including the Bruce Highway were cut off and several bridges were damaged beyond use.
Laura Boekel of the Bureau of Meteorology said rivers and creeks were responding rapidly to further rainfall and there was a “very high likelihood” conditions will not ease until Tuesday afternoon.
Deputy Police Commissioner and State Disaster Co-ordinator Shane Chelepy said some residents climbed onto roofs to escape floodwaters and were forced to wait until it was safe to rescue them.
Authorities were in constant contact with the people until they were rescued, he said.
Additional government and non-government personnel were expected to arrive in the area on Monday to assist.
Major roads have been cut, hampering the delivery of assistance to the Cairns area, Mr Chelepy said.
“The rain is that heavy we can’t get any helicopter support into the communities that are isolated.
“We’re going to stage most of these resources in Townsville and then look at our support from the Commonwealth as well as private resources to get them into the region.”
Residents and businesses in the Cairns region were told to only use water for emergency purposes as council’s treatment plants were offline.
The affected area was pre-emptively declared a disaster zone last week, to give local authorities additional powers to co-ordinate a response.
Federal disaster assistance has been extended to more areas, to help residents and local councils cover response and reconstruction costs.
Grants of $180 for individuals and up to $900 for a family of five or more are available to cover the costs of essentials such as food, clothing and medicine.
AAP
