More rain sparks fresh flood fears for sodden Qld
Remnants of an ex-cyclone will bring even more wet weather to the Queensland outback, triggering fears that flooding could worsen.
Floodwaters twice the size of Victoria have inundated western Queensland after record rainfall, forcing many, including an entire town, to evacuate.
The region’s flooding is considered the worst in more than 50 years and could last weeks, sparking fears of mass livestock losses.
However, locals have been warned that water levels could rise again with the remnants of ex-tropical cyclone Dianne bringing more rain.
“With more rainfall to come, this will fall particularly across flood-affected parts of outback Queensland which are already being heavily impacted by this flooding,” the Bureau of Meteorology’s Jonathan How said.
“Additional rainfall could cause more renewed creek and river level rises and in some parts, may prolong some of those flooding impacts.”
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Remote communities near the Northern Territory’s Alice Springs and Uluru were also expected to be affected by ex-cyclone Dianne’s remnants after the system crossed Western Australia’s north-west coast days ago.
The wet weather is then forecast to push into central Queensland and down to northern NSW by Tuesday. Rain is not expected to ease for days.
The heaviest falls will hit southern Queensland and northern NSW on Wednesday, with totals exceeding 100 millimetres in some areas.
More rain will ensure further hardship for graziers, sparking fears for some that they will lose all of their stock.
The full extent of the damage won’t be known until the flooding eases, which could take weeks.
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“We’re talking about a massive loss… in relation to their livestock, cattle, sheep and goats,” Queensland Emergency Services Minister Dan Purdie said.
“Some of those families and some of those farmers have been on the land for a long time – it might take a long time to recover.”
Helicopter pilots have gathered to help evacuation efforts in the southwest, with Adavale’s entire population of about 30 people rescued in recent days.
They have also helped drop off food supplies and livestock fodder, with roads cut or badly damaged by floodwaters.
“A lot of the creeks are still up and what roads are open, they’re pretty gouged out,” said Anne-Maree Lloyd, who had to evacuate her Jedburgh homestead near the Barcoo River.
“Semi-trailers with a full load of hay just wouldn’t get along them.
“The logistics of getting that supply into where it’s needed is a big issue at the moment. There’s just so much water around.”
Also in Queensland, about 70 people were evacuated from Thargomindah, about 1000 kilometres west of Brisbane, on Monday morning as the flooding threat spread in the sodden state.
A levee bank protecting the community broke, prompting repair crews to launch recovery efforts on Monday.
“The area of land covered by flood water at the moment in western Queensland is double the size of Victoria, that’s what we’re talking about,” Purdie said.
Thargomindah expected seven metres of floodwaters in coming days, AgForce general president Shane McCarthy said
“There’s unprecedented levels of flooding out there,” he said.
