The death comes after the body of a 38-year-old fisherman was recovered earlier today south of Gladstone. His boat was swamped near the mouth of the river around 4pm on Saturday. Searchers located his body around 8.10am, seven nautical miles north from the mouth of the river at the top end of Facing Island. Ten SES volunteers from Victoria yesterday began working in Emerald as residents began returning. Thirty more Victorian volunteers are on standby to help in other towns and regions. An estimated 200,000 people are deemed flood-affected as the city of Rockhampton braces for potentially record flood levels in coming days. The Queensland government estimates the cost to the state could be as high as $1 billion. Although the Fitzroy River has not yet its peak - expected to arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday - last night large parts of Rockhampton were under water and mandatory evacuations were ordered. Up to 40 per cent of the town could be flooded by Wednesday, locals predict.

The airport and road south to Brisbane were closed yesterday, as were the rail line and road west from the city. Only the road north to Mackay was open. The town was expected to be cut off by this morning and could remain so for at least 10 days. At the airport, flood barriers have been built around the terminal and control tower by emergency teams and cars have been removed from car parks in case they float away and cause damage. ''We're looking at alternative means of bringing supplies: barges, heavy-lift helicopters,'' mayor Brad Carter said. ''We might get a bit lean but I can't see this community running out or putting anyone at risk.'' Rockhampton supermarkets stocked up on essential goods over the weekend amid reports of panic buying. The towns of St George and Surat, near Roma, were preparing to be inundated. Theodore - the first town in Queensland to be completely evacuated - was waiting for a second peak to come, covering the 2 per cent of the town not under water.

Police found the body of a 41-year-old Mount Isa woman yesterday about two kilometres from where her vehicle was swept into a river at Floraville, 70 kilometres south-east of Burketown. The drivers of two vehicles, including the drowned woman's, had tried to cross the flooded Leichhardt River. Two adults and two children in the first vehicle and one adult and three children from the dead woman's vehicle were found safely. In Rockhampton, rescuers called off a search for a swimmer missing in the flooded Fitzroy River. He was last seen about 7am yesterday. Five water rescue boats and an air search failed to find him. Local police reported post-New Year's Eve drunks swimming in the perilous floodwaters. One of Queensland's top policemen described the emergency as ''unique'' because of its huge scale - the floods cover an area bigger than New South Wales - which means that as floodwaters recede in some stricken towns and recovery operations begin, others are still bracing for the worst.

''I think we are very much in the middle of the event,'' said Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Brett Pointing. ''It has got a long way to go.'' Authorities last night issued a warning to those set to return home to prepare for despair. ''It will be a heartbreaking return to homes for a lot of Queenslanders,'' said Warren Bridson from Emergency Management Queensland. Weather reports late yesterday warned of severe thunderstorms, very heavy rain, flash-flooding and large hailstones in parts of Queensland including Dalby, Roma, Charleville, Emerald, St George and Goondiwindi. The federal and Queensland governments have announced grants of up to $25,000 for small businesses and farmers affected by the crisis. ''This targeted financial assistance will help them minimise their economic losses as they embark on the very difficult recovery period,'' Prime Minister Julia Gillard said in a statement.

Meanwhile a prominent water scientist has forecast widespread damage to the Great Barrier Reef as murky floodwaters surge into the sea off Queensland. Jon Brodie, a senior research officer with the Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research at James Cook University in Townsville, told The Age the floods were a ''major event'' for the reef. Loading ''That water will slosh around in the reef for two years,'' he said. Fresh water, often containing fertilisers and pesticides as runoff from farmland, kills coral. ''It's not just now when it's delivered,'' he said. ''It stays there and that is what is actually slowly killing the reef.'' Reefs around Great Keppel Island were already suffering from Fitzroy River discharges, he said. ''A lot of coral will die.''