Australia: Half of Queensland is underwater and more rain to come with expected $1b damage bill
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Pastor Dale Morgan
Dec 26, 2010, 8:59:48 AM12/26/10
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Times and Climate Change
Australia: Half of Queensland is underwater and more rain to come with expected $1b damage bill
* By Josh Robertson, Andrew MacDonald and Peter Michael
* From: The Courier-Mail
* December 27, 2010 12:19AM
Flooding in Ingham
Michael Small rides his bike through floodwaters at Ingham. Picture: Peter Wallis. Source: The Courier-Mail
* Falls of up to 250mm lash state
* Rain from cyclone on the move
* Days of more rain forecast
NEARLY half of Queensland is waterlogged and worse is still to come, with reports the damage bill could top $1 billion.
Flooding is expected across central Queensland for the rest of the week after falls of up to 250mm lashed Rockhampton, Mackay, Bundaberg and Charleville and left the towns of Theodore and Ingham isolated, reported The Courier-Mail.
As north Queensland began cleaning up from ex-tropical Cyclone Tasha yesterday, the monsoonal rain moved south and was due to hit the southeast overnight. Falls of up to 200mm are expected over the next three days with the Sunshine Coast to bear the brunt.
Nearly 30 local government areas - covering almost half the state - can now access disaster assistance funding with more expected to join them. Government funding has begun flowing to an area from Mackay to the NSW border to repair roads, bridges and other infrastructure damaged by flooding since early December.
But it came with a warning to prepare for a "long-term event" with days of rain forecast.
Central Queensland towns are bracing for more severe flooding as looming days of solid rain force rescue crews to shift their focus from the state's far north.
It is feared a second, more serious wave of floods will follow, with residents around Rockhampton set to battle rising waters into next week.
Authorities handed out sandbags to help staunch predicted floodwaters after 250mm of rain in 48 hours left the region waterlogged.
Rockhampton resident Kelvin Burgoyne, having just cleaned up after last week's floods, was forced to move his horses yesterday.
"There's really not a whole lot I can do about it but it would be nice if it didn't get much higher," the Depot Hill resident said.
As the far north escaped the worst of downgraded Cyclone Tasha, rains from the monsoon which reached the southeast over the weekend will be pushed back towards the state's central coast.
Forecasters warned of an "outside chance" a tropical low in the Gulf may intensify into a tropical cyclone bringing more damage.
Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said the 28 shire council areas subject to natural disaster relief could increase.
Theodore, beside the Dawson River west of Gladstone, was among several central Queensland towns cut off.
State Disaster Co-ordinator QPS Deputy Commissioner Ian Stewart said some residents had chosen to "self evacuate" from homes.
SES crews from Rockhampton were flown into the stricken township after flooding cut the Capricorn highway in several spots.
In the far north, the sugar town of Ingham was cut off at the Bruce Highway as the nearby Herbert River peaked at 12.2m.
Some homes were evacuated and about 50 people moved out of the tiny mining town of Irvinebank, west of Cairns.
Residents in Babinda and Gordonvale, south of Cairns, began a big Boxing Day clean-up as receding floodwaters left a trail of flood debris and thick black mud.
Emergency crews were called out for several rescues, including a teenager trapped in a tree after trying to cross the swollen Moores Creek in Rockhampton.
The conditions left most beaches on the Gold and Sunshine coasts almost deserted yesterday.
The southeast will remain on alert for flooding today after up to 100mm of rain over the weekend.
A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said: "We're going to get some flooding around here because we're saturated as it is."
Southeast Queensland skies are expected to clear up this week, although up to 200mm of rain will have fallen by Wednesday, he said.
"(SEQ) is the only zone that will get a clearing, the rest of the state will be wet," a spokesman said.
Northern and central New South Wales is suffering similar conditions with flood warnings prevelant.
Australia: Half of Queensland is underwater and more rain to come with expected $1b damage bill
* By Josh Robertson, Andrew MacDonald and Peter Michael
* From: The Courier-Mail
* December 27, 2010 12:19AM
Flooding in Ingham
Michael Small rides his bike through floodwaters at Ingham. Picture: Peter Wallis. Source: The Courier-Mail
* Falls of up to 250mm lash state
* Rain from cyclone on the move
* Days of more rain forecast
NEARLY half of Queensland is waterlogged and worse is still to come, with reports the damage bill could top $1 billion.
Flooding is expected across central Queensland for the rest of the week after falls of up to 250mm lashed Rockhampton, Mackay, Bundaberg and Charleville and left the towns of Theodore and Ingham isolated, reported The Courier-Mail.
As north Queensland began cleaning up from ex-tropical Cyclone Tasha yesterday, the monsoonal rain moved south and was due to hit the southeast overnight. Falls of up to 200mm are expected over the next three days with the Sunshine Coast to bear the brunt.
Nearly 30 local government areas - covering almost half the state - can now access disaster assistance funding with more expected to join them. Government funding has begun flowing to an area from Mackay to the NSW border to repair roads, bridges and other infrastructure damaged by flooding since early December.
But it came with a warning to prepare for a "long-term event" with days of rain forecast.
Central Queensland towns are bracing for more severe flooding as looming days of solid rain force rescue crews to shift their focus from the state's far north.
It is feared a second, more serious wave of floods will follow, with residents around Rockhampton set to battle rising waters into next week.
Authorities handed out sandbags to help staunch predicted floodwaters after 250mm of rain in 48 hours left the region waterlogged.
Rockhampton resident Kelvin Burgoyne, having just cleaned up after last week's floods, was forced to move his horses yesterday.
"There's really not a whole lot I can do about it but it would be nice if it didn't get much higher," the Depot Hill resident said.
As the far north escaped the worst of downgraded Cyclone Tasha, rains from the monsoon which reached the southeast over the weekend will be pushed back towards the state's central coast.
Forecasters warned of an "outside chance" a tropical low in the Gulf may intensify into a tropical cyclone bringing more damage.
Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said the 28 shire council areas subject to natural disaster relief could increase.
Theodore, beside the Dawson River west of Gladstone, was among several central Queensland towns cut off.
State Disaster Co-ordinator QPS Deputy Commissioner Ian Stewart said some residents had chosen to "self evacuate" from homes.
SES crews from Rockhampton were flown into the stricken township after flooding cut the Capricorn highway in several spots.
In the far north, the sugar town of Ingham was cut off at the Bruce Highway as the nearby Herbert River peaked at 12.2m.
Some homes were evacuated and about 50 people moved out of the tiny mining town of Irvinebank, west of Cairns.
Residents in Babinda and Gordonvale, south of Cairns, began a big Boxing Day clean-up as receding floodwaters left a trail of flood debris and thick black mud.
Emergency crews were called out for several rescues, including a teenager trapped in a tree after trying to cross the swollen Moores Creek in Rockhampton.
The conditions left most beaches on the Gold and Sunshine coasts almost deserted yesterday.
The southeast will remain on alert for flooding today after up to 100mm of rain over the weekend.
A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said: "We're going to get some flooding around here because we're saturated as it is."
Southeast Queensland skies are expected to clear up this week, although up to 200mm of rain will have fallen by Wednesday, he said.
"(SEQ) is the only zone that will get a clearing, the rest of the state will be wet," a spokesman said.
Northern and central New South Wales is suffering similar conditions with flood warnings prevelant.
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